Tom Paterson is an animal. The Ontario-based river boogie boarder (or, as he calls it, “river boarder”) has perfected some wild maneuvers on river waves (check out the board whip he pulls off on the regular). Paterson bases himself on one of the best big water playgrounds in the world, the Ottawa River, an eastern Canadian gem that features loads of river surf waves thanks to its large volume of water. And most of the rapids are pool drop meaning there’s recovery time after the drop.
Paterson is experienced in whitewater but swimming after coming off these waves–especially when the water is high in the spring–can be a life-altering experience. “Detonator,” “Ginormica,” “Bus Eater,” are just a few of the named waves Paterson surfs. And the names alone would turn away most casual river runners. Paterson himself admits the “swimming that goes into riding (these) beast(s) is pretty intimidating.” Check out some of these clips. And watch Paterson’s Facebook page too. He releases new material every week to gawk at.
This playful thing is called “Dam Wave,”:
A wave Paterson just recently started surfing. Pretty beastly:
The entrance move alone on this wave, known as Garburator, is jaw dropping:
A playwave called McCoys:
Most of this segment was filmed in Quebec:
