I tried to jump in from the side and drop in from above. The wave wasn’t strong enough to hold the tube.

The transfer is the easy part

Then I wanted to try and do a board transfer onto the river wave. The transfer is the easy part. Getting onto the wave with two boards was really hard. A board transfer doesn’t count if you don’t paddle onto the wave with the boards yourself.

Finally after a few tries I got onto the wave and made it happen!

I ended my surf session on an inflatable surfboard. It surfs so well from rail to rail for an inflatable. I never have to worry about dinging it up or anything! One of the best investments in my quiver!

The post River Surfing Board Transfer appeared first on Riverbreak.

Why hasn’t any river surfers been recognized by mainstream surf companies? River surfing opens the sport up to so many more people. There are definitely more people who live next to rivers than the coast. Yet there is no validation given to any of the river surfers by mainstream surf companies.

I don’t understand. Surfers dream of discovering new waves and surfing an uncrowned lineup. With river surfing you can discover or build new waves. You can almost always find an uncrowned wave to rip on. Take my video for example. The wave isn’t the best but there is no one else in the line up

What do you think?

• Will river surfing ever be accepted by mainstream surfing?
• Do you even want it to?
• Why do you think it hasn’t been accepted?

Comment below and share your thoughts!

The post River Surfing – Going Mainstream? appeared first on Riverbreak.

There is a path that runs the length of the whitewater park. You can walk or skate the path to scope out all the features. The bottom wave is my favorite, Library Wave is my second favorite then Bleacher Wave at lower flow on a SUP is my last choice.

What makes this location unique

This spot is unique because the river flows into the Coors factory where they make Coors Beer. When I was little I use to think it was funny to pee in the river. I thought beer tasted like pee because of it!

Tip

The river does get pretty busy with kayaks and tubers. Just remember to give the down river the right of way. Jump off the wave when you see people floating or paddling downstream.

What board I was surfing

I was surfing the wave with my inflatable surfboard. This board is crazy. It surfs rail to rail just as well as a hardboard. It is incredibly ridged just like a hardboard. I love surfing it because I never have to worry about it getting dinged up at all.

If you have any questions about this spot just let me know. Don’t forget to watch my Vlog on YouTube. If you like what I am doing please like and subscribe!

See you guys on the water!

The post River Surfing Golden Colorado appeared first on Riverbreak.

Beaver Wave is right on the edge of downtown. It is the epitome of urban surfing. The sound of cars humming by on the highway is a soundtrack for your surf session. The water is warm and nasty. I only wear neoprene to protect myself from the shallow rocks and the trash floating around in the eddylines.

Beaver Wave is the epitome of urban surfing

You would think a species who depends on clean water for survival would be a little bit more interested in preserving our waterways. It is clear to me from the riverbed that if it is out of sight, it is out of mind. Not only do we depend on the waterways for clean drinking water but farmers downriver use this same water for crops that we eat. Personally I wouldn’t want my food watered with this sludge. I barely want to surf in it!

We need to have a positive impact on the environment to preserve the earth for future generations to enjoy. I want my kids to be able to enjoy surfing clean water no matter where they chose to catch waves (river or ocean). Just remember to try and leave a zero carbon footprint at your surf spots. Pack in what you pack out! If you have time pick up some trash at whatever location you surf. Leave your local surf spot cleaner than when you arrived.

Surf and take care of the earth.

The post River Surfing Beaver Wave appeared first on Riverbreak.

Florence has been a go to spot for most the front range locals in Colorado. The drive is really simple and the wave is easy to find. The wave can be surfed as low as 400 CFS. The prime flow for shortboarding is 1,000-1,200 CFS. It is in the Desert so the weather is typically pretty warm. The water temp is cool but feels perfect with the warm air temps.

Staircase wave is Buena Vista is an iconic wave in the SUP surfing world. This wave is pretty soft on a shortboard so it is going to require a board with some volume even at the higher flows. I had a lot of luck on it with my inflatable surfboard. Prime surfing flow on this wave is anything above 1,400 CFS. The altitude is 9,000 FT above sea level so be prepared to suck wind in between every ride.

One thing that I am lucky to have for the lower flows is my inflatable surfboard. The thing surfs rail to rail amazing and has a ton of volume so it can pretty much surf anything! Look for my next vlog I will be surfing my inflatable surfboard in Golden Colorado!

The post River Surfing Buena Vista and Florence appeared first on Riverbreak.

The waves in Pueblo get good starting at 1k and stay good all the way up to 4k. The more flow the better the wave will be. I use the gage on American Whitewater.

It is awesome to surf with so much art in the back drop.

Pueblo is unique because of the wall that lines the river. It is awesome to surf with so much art in the back drop! We started surfing in hole 3 today. It was so much fun. The wave has changed a lot over the years. At 1k the wave use to be a little stronger. I think sediment has filled in behind the wave over the years and made it a little softer.

I got to charge hole 4 and nail it first time. In the past I always stayed at hole 3 because the swim is easier and the wave is easier to surf. The last time I surfed hole 4 I had a pretty long hold down. I fell in the whitewash of the wave and just got held there for 30 to 45 seconds. It felt way longer!

I get really excited to hear about the new wave project they are working on. Having a large wave shaper there would be amazing. I really hope that the wave gets approved and we are able to make an amazing wave down there!

The post River Surfing Pueblo, Colordao appeared first on Riverbreak.

Everyone had been surfing this wave from 400-700 cfs. We rolled up and the water looked way higher. I checked the gauge and it was pumping at 1k – the wave looked awesome! So we all got ready as quick as we could. We jumped in the water and got our first rides.

Florence Wave in Colorado

By the time we took a break a few more surfers showed up. I couldn’t believe we had already been surfing for 3 hours. I surfed until I had noodle arms and legs. The scenery at the wave was pretty cool.

I couldn’t believe there was a wave in the desert. There were cows all over the place. Surfing new waves is awesome and experiences like this make me want to surf as many places as I can! Thank you Florence! I will be back to shred soon!

The post River Surfing Florence Wave, Colorado appeared first on Riverbreak.

First thing is first. See what style of fin box you have on your board. Are they FCS style or are they the Futures style? FCS fins have two tabs that are inserted into the hull of the board using screws. Futures style fins are inserted into the hull of a board with a larger single tab using screws. Then you want to look at your fin set up to determine how many fins you will need. From my experience all you need on a river wave is a twin fin (2 fin) set up.

It all boils down to what style of surfing you want to do.

When surfing a river wave you are surfing straight. This allows more of the boards surface area to be in the water. Your fins are going to spend majority of the time in the water. I find that a twin fin (2 fin) setup works really well. I don’t really like a quad set up because it makes the board react a lot slower while turning and doing tricks. If I am riding really short fins I will throw in a 2 + 1 fin set up ( 2 side fins and 1 middle fin). This seems to help provide a little bit more stability and still feels loose enough to do tricks. Keep in mind this is my personal preference from my own experience and surf style.

Quick Fin 101

Fin Size

The fin size is referring to the length or height of the fin. A fin that is larger will help provide stability and control. A smaller fin will create a lose skate like feeling on the wave. In bigger more powerful river waves a larger fin will help you keep more control while surfing. Overall a longer/taller fin provides more stability on a river wave.

Fin Base

The fin base refers to the part of the fin that sits flush with the board. It is typically the widest part of the fin. The length of the base will impact how your board turns on a river wave. A longer fin base will create longer turns. A shorter fin base will help you turn quicker.

Fin Flex

Fin flex refers to how much flex the fin has while surfing on a wave. All fins have a certain flex but some have more than others. For the most part the base of the fin will be stiff and toward the tip is where the flex will be. A fin with more flex will allow the fins to break free for a more skate feel.

Find out which fins work best for you based on your style and board setup

Wrapping It Up

Looking at these basic fin features you can decide what fin is going to work best. You can determine what style of surfing you want to do. If you want to have a looser skate style and be able to do all sorts of spin tricks and pop shove its. Use a smaller fin with a shorter base. If you want to hack massive turns and throw buckets of spray chose a bigger fin with a wider base. Or if you want to balance yourself somewhere between those two styles choose a medium size fin and fin base.

The best part is playing around with different shaped and different size fins to see how it affects the board in the water. Have fun with it and figure out what works best for you and your surf style. Keep progressing and having fun!

The post How to Choose the Right Fins for River Surfing appeared first on Riverbreak.

The last time I choose to storm like this was a year ago. It was a snowstorm early season. It was a really good session till my last ride. On the backside cut back my real cut the water funky. As I fell my board bounced up and hit me in the chin so hard that I needed stitches. When I got to the side of the river, I actually spit out pieces my tooth. I also had to go to Dennis and get a cap.

My phone was blowing up with river surfers wondering if I was going to go surf today.

My phone was blowing up with river surfers wondering if I was going to go surf today. I knew I had to get out pretty soon to beat the crowd. I got to the river with just a couple people there and had a really good session with my buddy Jason.

Storm river surfing

The water was disgusting. I surfed really conservatively to make sure I didn’t get too much water on my face. Because this is the first rain storm of the season it’s flushing all the nasty stuff into the water and I didn’t want to take any chances.

Tips on Surfing Dirty Water

A few tips for anyone looking to surf rain runoff or really dirty water … Wear a nose plug, ear plugs and keep your mouth closed when you swim. This will help minimize how much nasty water you get in your body. If you have a drysuit wear it! A dry suit will keep the water off and out of your body. Limit your exposure to the crap that is in the water as much as possible!

It was an awesome first session of the season my new board was amazing! It was really cold but the surf warms my soul. Best part of all is I ended the session injury free! Thanks for watching and stay tuned for next weeks vlog!

The post River Surfing – A Spring Storm appeared first on Riverbreak.

My brother’s truck decided to stop working and I was looking for any excuse to get a van of some kind. So I gave him the keys to my Lexus. I began the hunt for my perfect river surfing mobile. All my friends have sprinter vans. So that’s where I started.

It is going to take me to all the best waves I can think of.

I looked at full size sprinter style vans and cargo vans. But they all felt empty. They just didn’t seem to fit my lifestyle. I needed something I would be able to balance between my home life and river surfing. Finally I found a mini van that was perfect for what I needed.

DIY river surfing camper

A Car that Fits your Lifestyle

This may not be the van everyone had in mind for me. But it is mine and it is perfect for my life. It gets better gas mileage than a sprinter or cargo. Has just about as much room as a cargo (4 ft X 8 ft). Oh yeah, and the seats fold into the floor! So I can take the bed platform out and easily accommodate passengers. Best part of it is that it is going to take me to all the best waves I can think of!

When I converted the van I made sure everything could easily be taken out and put back in! It’s like a transformer van that is super stealth. I mean who sees a mini van and thinks someone is camping out in it?! Take a look at the video to see my transformer conversion!

The post How to Turn your Vehicle into the Ultimate River Surfing Mobile appeared first on Riverbreak.