Habitat 67 (standing wave)

Playboater surfing Habitat 67
Riversurfing Habitat 67

Habitat 67 is the name of a standing wave on the Saint Lawrence River 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 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). 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]

  1. ^ Woodley, Matthew (June 9–15, 2005). "Surf's up St. Lawrence". Montreal Mirror. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  2. ^ Lamey, Mary. "Everybody's gone surfin' on the St. Lawrence River". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010.
  3. ^ Hufman, Jesse (July 10, 2009). "Surfing a River When the Wave Doesn't Move". New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  4. ^ Sabourin, Clement (September 4, 2009). "Welcome to Montreal Beach, new river surf capital". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.