River Surfing the Deschutes

Most people we tell that we surf in the Deschutes River look at us like we're nuts. But, believe it or not, you can actually surf a wave here in Deschutes River at Bend Whitewater Park in Bend, Oregon, and I'll tell you, it's a blast. You get a least one minute on the wave each round, and sometimes longer, depending on who's behind you waiting. 

This wave was created by Surf Anywhere/Jacob Kelly. It is 40 feet across and 3 1/2-5 inches high depending on the flow of water along the river at that time. It was a project brought together by the city of Bend in order to create a space at Bend Whitewater Park through the bridge for adventures to kayak, tube, surf, or even just to enjoy the river's flow through this area. 

Foggy surfing

We spent the weekend at the coast learning how to do popups and getting a feel for our boards. There were a few times we were able to get up and try to balance, but overall we definitely need more practice. We are also looking into getting our own wetsuits and boards, but for now we will rent and see what boards we need exactly. It was a fun weekend, kind of foggy, but overall a lot of fun and we did get better with popups before the day was over, so success. 

Surf's Up

We're getting a bit better at balancing and with our popups. We've decided on some boards, but we aren't going to get them until after the spring. We want to make sure we are going to stick with it before purchasing what we need. But, I will be honest, surfing is addicting. It's almost like you crave it when you aren't there. The feeling of the water under the board, the determination, the excitement once you get up, there's nothing like it, really. We spent the weekend on the ocean, in a little town named Pacific City. The area we enjoy is Cape Kiwanda. We were there until the sun went down and before we knew it, nine hours had passed. I tell you, it's a great sport and I'm disappointed that we didn't start sooner.

We Took Surf Lessons

Yep. Just as the title says, we took surfing lessons and let me tell you, you loved it! We have always wanted to take lessons just to see what it's like. We went through a surf shop in Lincoln City and our instructor was amazing. He's name was Declan and he is a world class surfer, so he knew a thing or two. He taught us the basics, how to avoid ocean currents, how to balance, popups, riding small and large waves, and pretty much everything we needed to know to begin. He stayed with us for about three hours making sure we had down the basics to surfing and then allowed us the boards and suits for the remainder of the day, which was about six hours more. We just couldn't get enough of it. Skylar got up on his board about three times and rode in some waves straight away. Jeff and I took some time getting our balance, but once you get up once, it's really a lot easier than you think. We have never had so much fun in the Pacific Ocean before and it is definitely something we will continue doing.