Ben Gravy has carved out a career path by surfing very weird waves. The weirdest of waves. River waves, ferry waves, lake waves… if it’s a moving lump of water, Ben Gravy will try and surf it. Unbeknownst to many, the Great Lakes do get waves. Cold ones, for sure, but there are waves. The wind howls over those great expanses of water, and as you know, waves are created by wind over water. Here’s a quick breakdown: Waves are created by wind speed, wind duration, and fetch, which is the distance over water the wind blows in one direction. High winds for a long time over a long distance is what creates those beautiful traveling wet hills, and Lake Ontario has the ingredients. Like Gerry Lopez and the surfers at Surf the Greats say, “surf is where you find it.”
The video you see above documents Gravy’s first time surfing on Lake Ontario. It’s his fourth Great Lake, and he’s just got one to go. Lake Huron is next on his list. And he’s got big plans for after that one’s checked off. “Once I check off my fifth and final Great Lake,” he says, “it’ll be time to surf all five of them in 24 hours!”
