Surfing, it seems, is no longer tied down to warm weather climates.
Long the sport of the South Pacific and other tropical locations, surfing is popping up in the strangest of places. In the last year here at Gadling, we’ve posted about surfing in Ireland, England, Germany, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Alaska. And today, I run across an article in The Toronto Star about a group of die-hard surf fanatics who ride the waves in the frosty waters off Halifax, Nova Scotia. Brrr…..
Are these people crazy? Well, apparently the waves are world-class and the breaks are yours to own–there’s usually not another surfer for miles. Of course, according to journalist Kelly Toughill, this is all impossible without the advent of super wet suits which keep surfers alive in water temperatures which can dip below freezing. And then, there is the post-surfing dash through the snow back to your car–something which needs to be done quickly or you may just freeze up like a statue and die.
So what’s it like? Toughill points us to two resources to see for ourselves: Magicseaweed.com and the Red Bull Ice Break Surf Competition. Check it out.