If you're like me, every time I've seen surfers on Lake Michigan I'm just full of questions:
"Who are they? Where did they get surfboards from? Aren't they FREEZING? Are those... wetsuits? Do those actually work? Do they all know each other? Maybe its a college class or something... or maybe not. Can you even 'surf' on a Great Lake?"
So with warmer weather ahead, all this week in Community Stories we're learning about surfing on Lake Michigan as well as answering some of those big questions.
Enter Jake Bresette, owner of Lake Effect Surf Shop in Shorewood and a long-time Lake Michigan surfer himself.
Jake and his wife Alaina have been running Lake Effect Surf Shop for about a year now, and both equally passionate about the sport, they answered all my questions to a T - most of my concerns being, "don't you freeze?!" (Answer: "No. That's what a wetsuit is for.")
“Great Lake surfing has really grown over the past few years,” Jake explains, “you know, maybe five or six years ago you’d only see one or two, three other people in the water…. now on a good day, you can see almost up to twenty surfers.”
Their shop itself actually rents out surfboards and wetsuits year-round, so still curious, I decided to tag along on one of their surfing trips to Atwater Beach early one morning.
Intrigued? Listen to my surfing experience below:
Want to give it a go? You can visit Jake at his shop at 1926 E Capitol Drive in Shorewood or check them out here.
