"The Third Coast"

It is believed that Great Lakes breakers were first surfed nearly a century ago, and quite possibly even earlier by natives. However, the first significant wave of participants arrived in the 1960s. The California surf trend was spilling into Middle America, and small surfing communities flourished across the Great Lakes. Eventually surfing spread throughout the region, and today surfing on the “Third Coast” is more popular than ever.
The significant size of the Great Lakes is what makes surfing on them possible. The Great Lakes combined consists of six quadrillion gallons of water and more than 10,900 miles of shoreline. The Great Lakes are the largest fresh water system on earth and have more coastline than the East and West coasts combined. Rather than waves being created by distant storm systems, waves on the Great Lakes are formed by localized winds. Because of the ongoing improvements in wetsuit technology, surfers are now able to comfortably ride lake waves year-round, including in winter and freezing temperatures.
Lake surfing has been featured by national and regional news sources such as The CBS Early Show, The Today Show, Newsweek, National Public Radio, newspapers like The Chicago Tribune and The Indianapolis Star, and going back to our roots, The Honolulu Star Bulletin. Its popularity has recently become more significant than ever. The idea of surfing on freshwater lakes in the heartland of America, especially in the winter season, tends to catch peoples’ attention.