Summary

One of Canada’s largest city, Montreal is quickly establishing itself as one of the world’s best river surfing destinations. Being strategically located next to St. Lawrence River, runway from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean, Montrealers have learned to master the rapids for well over a couple decades now.

In 2020, the city of Montreal has announced a $2.4 million investment to improve the surfing infrastructure at one of the city’s favorite surf spot, La Vague à Guy. This was a clear statement of Montreal’s potential and surge in popularity of this sport in the region and its will to help the sport grow.

Every year, more adepts make their first steps on a wave in Montreal and the number of river surfers in the region is now estimated to be over 10,000.

Surf spots near Montreal

La Vague à Guy

A soft and very consistent wave that works throughout the year,  La Vague à Guy is the best river surfing spot in Montreal for beginners and long boarders. Its proximity to shore and smooth current make it a fairly safe environment to learn and make you way into the sport. The recent infrastructure improvements also make it less intimidating and more welcoming for first timers.  However, it is much preferable for beginners to start with a lesson or get introduced to the spot by an experienced surfer in order to avoid hazards and learn how the line-up works.

Ideal surfboard: 7’6″ “Mini Malibu style” or any long board

Habitat 67 (shore)

A fairly inconsistent, yet very fun wave when it does work. Habitat’s shore wave is sensitive to water level variations and works best at around 1.50m.

Ideal surfboard: To match the wave’s steepness, a board between 5’4″ and 5’10” is best.

Habitat 67 (main)

If the water level is too low for Habitat’s shore wave, the main wave should be on. Starts to break softly at around 1.60m and peaks in quality below 0.60m.

Ideal surfboard: In prime conditions, below 0.60m, a funboard is best. However, such conditions happen rarely. On most days, it is a soft wave requiring a board with good volume or a long board.

How to read river surfing conditions in Montreal

River waves, just like ocean waves, work differently depending on some conditions. If ocean surfers read wind, swell and tidal charts, river surfers will look into the water level and debit to know which spot works best. Every river surfing spot will be more or less affected by water level variations, making some waves break differently from one day to the other.

Which board is best for river surfing in Montreal

Every surf spot has its own characteristics which make it difficult to pick one ideal board for river surfing in Montreal. However, you will want to have enough volume to catch the wave and stay on it while having the right board length depending on how steep the wave is. 

Best time to surf Montreal’s river waves

Although in Montreal, temperatures drop well below freezing level in winter, there are surfers in the river all year long. From December to March, a big hazard is the ice flowing down stream on certain days. When it is the case, things can easily become dangerous both for the surfer and its equipment. Therefore, in winter, surfers will want to go out on days where ice isn’t an issue.

Summer time is obviously extremely enjoyable with warm temperatures and great conditions. However, that is when crowds reach their apex and line-ups become unbearable for some surfers.

Safety/things to know

Just like ocean surfing, river surfing comes with some risk like strong current, rocks or ice. It is important to start with a surf lesson or to be accompanied by an experienced surfer to understand the different hazards of every spot.

With the ever growing popularity of river surfing, a good surfing etiquette is mandatory so that everyone keeps having fun despite heavy crowds. A standing wave breaks forever and most surfers could potentially ride it for several minutes would they want to. However, most surfers follow a “one-minute rule” which allows everyone to take turns and enjoy the wave!

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