I live in Peterborough, ON. For those of you who don't know where that is, it's just about an hour and a half drive from Toronto. I usually live in Toronto during the summers. I've been looking to get into surfing for quite some time now. I wasn't ever really sure if Toronto was the greatest place to learn... Lake Ontario never really struck me as a key place to surf. Anyway, I just got this free magazine from my cellphone carrier, and I was reading this article about the GTA surf school. It's sounds pretty decent, and I might like to try it at some point. I had a few questions about surfing, and if any of you avid surfers could answer some of them, that would be cool.

How good are the conditions in Canada? (More specifically in and around Toronto.) I've kind of been iffy on that, I mean were not exactly Cali, or Australia.

Is it that popular in and around the GTA?

How difficult is it to get onto the whole concept of surfing?

Is it anything similar to snowboarding?

Thanks!

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Get a copy of the book: "Surfing The Great Lakes." Boardsports in Toronto sells it.

Welcome to the lakes.

Hi Rachel,

I've been surfing the Great Lakes (mostly Huron) for almost 20 years and here's what I've learnt that might help you on your way. Waves generally only occur in the lakes when there's a strong wind (windswell). This generally means that you have to wear a wetsuit even in the summer - you'll get cold pretty quick sitting on top of the water. THe best conditions, in my opinion, are the early morning after a large windstorm. Usually the waves are rolling in nicely with no wind and you can surf until they die out.

Surfing is easy - it really is. Short boards generally aren't a good idea, look for a longer board --> 8' and above. The longer the board, the smaller the wave you can catch.

A good wetsuit, a good board, and patience is all you need.

Snowboarding is a completely different sensation. Once you surf, you'll understand. Hope this all helps. Good luck!

I just started surfing this year. Got myself a 5-4-3 Xcel suit with 7mm oven mitts & booties.
I'm warm year round. We surfed Wasaga beach in the dead of winter. It was -20 plus wind chill and we were in the water for 3 hours.
I also suggest getting a long board. I ride a Bic 9'4 Nat Young. Super nice. I can catch waves as small as 1' - 2' and still ride it on bigger days. My buddies ride shorter boards but have a tough time catching the same waves I catch.
Summers on the great lakes suck in terms of surf. Hardly any storms.
There's a few places near Toronto that work well.
Ashbridges Bay near downtown works really well on an E, SE, S wind direction. It's gotta be 30k plus for an extended period of time.
Bluffer's Park works best on a direct S, SW or the Cove there works best on a strong E.
My friends have paddled out on a big day and seen a 20 footer at the Cove.
Generally, on a strong wind the waves on Lake Ontario will be in the 2'-5' range. Bigger days can get overhead, but that needs to be a pretty strong wind. We've surfed A-Bay on a NE wind that gusted to 83 km/hr. It was 6'-7' that day with a wicket rip current.
It took me a while to stand up, but once you get the timing down, it's pretty easy with a strong wave.
Hope this helps.