Habitat 67 (standing wave)

Playboater surfing Habitat 67

Riversurfing Habitat 67

Habitat 67 is the name of a standing wave 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]

The wave is created by fast-moving water hitting underwater boulders. This creates a wave that can reach a height of two metres. 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 (Jun 9–15, 2005). "Surf’s up St. Lawrence". Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
2. Lamey, Mary. "Everybody's gone surfin' on the St. Lawrence River". Montreal Gazette (Canwest). Retrieved 2009-07-11.
3. Hufman, Jesse (July 10, 2009). "Surfing a River When the Wave Doesn’t Move". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
4. Sabourin, Clement (Sep 4, 2009). "Welcome to Montreal Beach, new river surf capital". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved 2009-09-05.

External links

• The Wave, a video on Montreal surfing by Corran Addison
• Imagine Surfboards surf school website
• John Mahoney, producer (August 23, 2013). Surfing the St. Lawrence. Montreal: Montreal Gazette.

Coordinates: 45°30′00″N 73°32′37″W / 45.49997°N 73.543596°W