Everything started with a massive storm from the northeast that was about to make Lake Ontario light up. It’d be cold, but the wind would bring waves so we decided to make the drive from Rochester to Toronto, ignoring ice, rain, and power outage warnings.
Soon after our arrival, we surfed the building swell with a handful of locals surfers (Toronto actually has a thriving surf scene and a growing surf community). That night, we stayed in downtown with the beautiful view of the CN Tower, although it was hard to sleep with the excitement of what Lake Ontario would have for us the next morning; the forecast promised some size with wind gusts up to 50 MPH.
That next morning I was on the dawn patrol with a French friend we referred to as the surfing expert. The current was strong and the winds were extreme, but we surfed our fill of brown rollers with nobody else out for a while. Eventually, we decided to roll the dice on a spot that I’d never surfed and rarely breaks. Sure enough, we were greeted by a crystal clear, long left peeling along the rocky shores of Lake Ontario. It was absolutely the coldest water I’ve ever surfed but this wave was a gift. Another close friend had told me about it but it requires a lot of elements coming together to get any waves here and that’s exactly was I was treated to.
The Great Lakes constantly surprise me with their power and beauty as well as the rest of the surf world’s growing interest in this unique place for riding waves.
Aloha from the lakes.
