Surfing on Lake Erie in the fall and winter | Hey Ray
ERIE, Pa. (KDKA) - One thing I love is people who use the weather, and there are some people who really use the weather.
People like Jim Samuels in Erie.
He uses the Fall and Winter weather for something you might not think of - surfing on Lake Erie!
Elizabeth: Why would anybody want to surf that time of year?
Ray: Well, let's ask Jim! Hi, Jim! Why would you want to surf in the fall or winter?
Jim Samuels: Good question! Because that's when the waves are the best. It's a window of opportunity when the lake is still warm and there's cold air the Clippers coming down from Canada, that that cold air has a higher density and moves the waves more. You get bigger waves, and the warm water is more pliable, like, once the water gets down in the 30s, it's denser I guess, I don't know, but it just doesn't seem to be as movable.
Jim Samuels: October can be really sweet, but this October wasn't so good. I don't know. The wind was from a weird direction. It wasn't the typical Clippers coming down. But, yeah, when it's October, the water's like in the 60s, and you can get some big waves. And that's pretty sweet because you don't have a really thin wet suit on, but, but November is pretty reliable, like the Edmonds Fitzgerald, you know, the gales of November, they'll come, and that's pretty reliable. And then you can get it away with December, which can be pretty sweet, too. But then you have to deal with some ice and another level of cold.
Ray: What do you look for in a forecast when you want to surf the lake?
Jim Samuels: Northeast winds are cool because there are beaches at Presque Isle that work well on the northeast. Southwest is cool. North is not cool, and South is no wave. South is waves in Canada. So, those are the forecasts, but I get excited whenever I see Southwest winds.
Elizabeth: What do people think when they hear you surf this time of year?
Jim Samuels: Oh, it's nice in Erie, people have been conditioned because they've the Erie Times did articles on it, and they've been exposed on Facebook, like, because of all the posting. But if it goes viral outside of Erie, people start getting kind of offensive, like, they'll be like, one of the comments was, "can't fix stupid", you know? Yeah. So, don't understand, or they just are looking on, so I think, in Erie, people have stopped being surprised, and they're more like cheering you on.
Ray: What made you decide to start doing this?
Jim Samuels: I'm a skier, so I used to want to be skiing in December, and I got constantly bumped out because it was like raining, you know, windy, so then when I took up surfing, so I could hedge my bet. No matter what it's doing, I could have a good time.
Elizabeth: Is it dangerous?
Jim Samuels: There is obviously an element of danger to this. If you don't know what you're doing, yeah, and that's, that's, that's, I mean, a lot of things that we do in life require training and practice and preparation, and, yeah, Lake surfing in December definitely requires all that. It's like, yeah, you just shouldn't get started surfing in December, like, down low on the lake. You should, you know, build up to it and get a mentor or somebody to help you.
Ray: Thanks Jim!
Elizabeth: Thank you!
Also, a big thank you for the Presque Isle Surf Club!
