We've featured surfers at McLain State Park before, but when Joy Ziemnick sent in today's surfing crew at the Breakwaters, I had to share them. I thought it was unique that she captured the sequence of the surfer walking out onto the break wall there, with the next shot as he jumps in while it's splashing all around him. Then the waves themselves just seemed larger, especially the close-up shot with the surfer still lying on his board. That wave coming behind him looks massive to me.

Joy's last two photos show how really cold it was a week ago when she captured these shots. You can see that the ice is forming, but the waves are still breaking it up and pushing it aside. Meanwhile on the shoreline, everything is being coated with layer, upon layer of ice.

Joy said they talked to one of the kids out there surfing and he said it was much colder out of the water, than in it. That makes perfect sense, since the current Lake Superior surface temperature around McLain State Park is between 36° and 43°, while the air is averaging around 20°. Brrrrrr...

These pix are incredible! They look like a movie about traversing the landscape on another planet.

SISU right dere

SISU right dere

Beautiful ice and snow scenes!

I think it was brave for Joy to be out there taking the pictures. Can't
even begin to imagine riding Superior's waves, though I am sure it
must be thrilling.

Great pictures!! I thought they were brave when I
saw people surfing the lake in October. This goes
above and beyond brave. Way to go, Joy, for
braving the weather enough to catch these great
shots.

That last pic sure looks familiar.....inside the breakwall heading in the direction of Hancock, very near to where the old Coast Guard station was located. Can anyone tell me if any or all of the buildings on that site are still standing? What has happened to that property?

Awesome pictures. Winter surfers on Lake Superior are
a special breed!

I certainly hope he had [a] mukava kuuma sauna waiting very nearby when he got back on shore! 😉

You are right about that, Frnash!

I am a fan of the "to each his own" outlook on things, and as such I will reserve comment on this activity. I will say that the photos are great.

Awesome photos, Joy! That's playing guts ball out there. Looks like 8- to 10-foot waves. In January. On Lake Superior. On a surfboard. Wow! Think those California boys would come on out if we invited them?

Dunerat - to answer you question - No! The Cali boys surf MUCH larger waves than these, and with ocean rip currents that Lake Superior does not have. Cali surfers are true open water surfers. They go out when the Pacific storms come in, and if you never seen the surf at those times you don't know. Number 2 - Cali boys are smarter than to surf in sub-zero or close temps, when they can have the ride of their life in warm ocean water temps, and when they come out of the water bask in the sun and 62 degree temps such as we had today.
Don't mean to ruffle any feathers here, but......
I'm sure I'll lose some friends on this one.

Awesome Dude! Really fantastic pic's Joy! Happy New Year Pasty!!

Not to keep hammering, but Cali boys also do not surf where rocks abound ... just soft sand. (Smart)
Happy New Year! :)

That's what I'm talking about! That would be fun.
That said I'm not sure I would do it but being I'm
guessing I'd be the one dumb enough to be on that
breaker.. Although I'd hope I'd be a little wiser
then that.

GRETA: Yooper boys, (surfers) do not have to deal with the salt in the eyes and looking out for sharks. When yooper boys come out of the waters, they have all their limbs.;O)

Pros and cons to both, I guess!!

Greta is right on!

Ram 4, Cali boys SURERS, Would have never got out of the warm vehicle! No SISU! Candy •••!

Surfer's*

Mickill, you watched too many movies.
Uncle Chuck you're darn right about that.
Janie T. - you got it!!

Yep, Lake Superior...salt free...shark free.

Not movies, news.

Different strokes for different folks. We should all accept that. There's no need to have tunnel vision. If you guys like surfing in ice, good for you. If us Cali sun lovers don't, good for us. No need to argue!

www.uppermichigansource.com/news/videos/windsurfing-on-lake-superior

love this story.;O)

I will add that there's a much greater chance of an ice surfer on Superior having a problem because of underwater boulders and rocks, than there is of an shark attack in warm waters. News channels tend to over dramatize.
Maybe Cali boys actually have "sisu" because they aren't paranoid of sharks and salt.