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This week’s chilly weather kept many people inside, but when you’re a surfer living near Lake Erie, you have to grab your board when the waves are firing. A new video out of northern Ohio proves that sometimes epic surf destinations can be found in surprising places. You just need to be ready for the cold.
Videos by Outdoors with Bear Grylls
Watch the bone-chilling video of surfers on Lake Erie:
In the clip, you can see frozen hair and beards as multiple surfers ride decent-sized waves. There are even icicles hanging from their wetsuits.
The video comes from @cam_1023, who appears to be often braving the chilly waters.
While most people don’t think of the Midwest as a surf destination, there are actually a lot of surf spots in northern Ohio, according to Surfline, an app that provides wave forecasting. And Ohio is not alone when it comes to surfing in the Great Lakes. With thousands of miles of coastline, you can find surfers in places like Buffalo, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania.
Aside from knowing how to surf, people hitting these water need a lot of extra gear compared to some warmer climates. Thick wetsuits, hoods, booties, and gloves are necessary for entering the water. Between freezing air temperatures, Lake Erie is currently sitting around 37 degrees Fahrenheit, easily in hypothermia territory.
According to surfing experts, besides the cold, other challenges usually include choppy waters and strong winds. Plus, Lake Erie is freshwater, so compared to the ocean, you have less buoyancy, making it harder to surf. Surfers in this region usually choose larger boards to make it slightly easier to catch a wave.
