Habitat 67 (standing wave)

Habitat 67 is the name of a standing wave on the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Informally named for the adjacent Habitat 67 housing complex, it has become a popular destination for whitewater kayaking and river surfing.[1]

Playboater surfing Habitat 67
Riversurfing Habitat 67

The wave is created by fast-moving water hitting underwater boulders. This creates a wave that can reach a height of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). The Lachine Rapids feature other two-metre breaks, including a wave further upriver near Lachine, known locally as Big Joe.[2]

Corran Addison, an Olympic kayaker and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, was the first to surf the Habitat wave in 2002. His river-surfing school, Imagine Surfboards, has taught 3,500 students since 2005. A second Montreal river-surfing school, KSF, has hosted 1,500 students a year since 2003. From fewer than ten original surfers, it is estimated that there are currently around 500 participants.[3][4]

References

  1. Woodley, Matthew (June 9–15, 2005). "Surf's up St. Lawrence". Montreal Mirror. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  2. Lamey, Mary. "Everybody's gone surfin' on the St. Lawrence River". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010.
  3. Hufman, Jesse (July 10, 2009). "Surfing a River When the Wave Doesn't Move". New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  4. Sabourin, Clement (September 4, 2009). "Welcome to Montreal Beach, new river surf capital". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.

45°30′01″N 73°32′32″W

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