Surfing an Alaskan Tidal Wave

SURFERS RIDE THE FAMOUS TURNAGAIN ARM BORE TIDE, JUST OUTSIDE ANCHORAGE, AK – PHOTO: MATT STANDAL

Situated just east of Anchorage, the 250-mile long Chugach range rises from sea level to glacier-covered peaks that stretch upwards of 13,000 feet. This incredible mountain range towers over thousands of rocky islands, and encompasses dozens of jagged fjords that cut inland from the Gulf of Alaska. Massive brown bears live here, along with moose and mountain goats, orca whales, several species of sea lions and seals, huge colonies of eagles, and colorful puffins too.

This was my fourth adventure to Alaska, and I was here to film a combination backpacking, surfing, and whale watching adventure with the cast from ABC’s Rock the Park. Our trip would be just under 10 days, but allow us to to cover enough ground to really feel like we’d seen what the Chugach offered. As a plus, the adventure would dovetail with another surf and scuba diving trek planned for Washington’s Olympic Peninsula the next week.

I was elated at the thought of exploring so much of the Pacific Northwest in such a short window, but also daunted by the filming task at hand. Our crew was bare-bones, with just two cameramen and a producer assigned to cover the action of our two hosts. No location sound mixer, production assistants, or lurking producers needed.

How exhausted does your job make you? Workers in the film and TV industry typically log 12-hour shifts. Besides the actual film work, there’s travel to location, daily gear prep, and the inevitable troubleshooting of camera technology and other equipment. I doubt I slept more than four to five hours per night in Alaska, but that’s simply the price of admission to places like this.

The plan was to base out of Anchorage for three nights, film surfing on the Turnagain Arm, drive to Seward for a few days to hike the Harding Icefield and go whale watching, then backtrack to Girdwood and camp one night along the 25-mile Crow Pass Trail, a former stop on the historic Iditarod trail used by pioneer gold miners more than 100 years ago.

You can watch our Alaskan surfing adventure on YouTube: Chugach National Forest: Surfing a Tidal Wave

Our first stop was a cheap hotel in Anchorage, where I needed to sort out a large shipment of film gear that arrived via FedEx. This involved lugging around several hundred pounds of duffel bags, pelican cases, and expensive electronics. After traveling for about 10 hours, I was exhausted and had to push through weariness to assemble our camera equipment, check video settings, and pack my gear for the upcoming shoot. I’m sure I worked 16 hours that day, and fell asleep still wondering if I’d prepped everything we needed to film this incredible landscape. This is what every day is like for a cameraman in Alaska: You wake up bleary-eyed, guzzle hotel lobby coffee, and drive to work in places most people will only dream of visiting. You wonder how long they will last.

The next afternoon found us driving to the Turnagain Arm, a shallow tidal bay that stretches about 40 miles inland from the Gulf of Alaska. Hemmed in by mountains that rise more than a mile high, this inland waterway is known for its bore tide phenomena. Twice each day, the bay empties and subsequently fills with a rolling push of seawater that streams in from the gulf, sometimes stacking up into a surfable tidal wave depending on the season. It’s so popular, that a number of local companies even offer surf tours and board rentals.

The idea of surfing Alaska’s longest wave sounds like a master class in literary exaggeration, or perhaps a true statement requiring some sort of verification. Sure, there’s surfable waves in Alaska – the state boasts over 6,000 miles of shoreline – but how does one quantify the best, biggest, or longest wave?

When timed correctly, the Turnagain Arm bore tide is one of the longest waves in the world, giving surfers a picturesque, albeit frigid ride that can last upwards of several minutes. For the majority however, this unusual surfing experience is more about the novelty, offering views of snowcapped peaks and wildlife. Tourists stop off the busy highway to watch and take pictures. Sightings of harbor seals and beluga whales are common here. I personally saw several bald eagles on the tidal flats, and spotted mountain goats on the nearby cliffs during our northern surfing odyssey.

THE USUALLY CALM WATERS OF THE TURNAGAIN ARM TURN INTO SURFABLE WAVES TWICE EACH DAY WHEN THE UNIQUE BORE TIDE PHENOMENA OCCURS. NOTE THE HAZE FROM WILDFIRE SMOKE.

I also observed what I can only surmise is a growing cadre of Alaskan surf bums hanging out in board shorts and bikinis on this unusually hot day in July. Flashing the trademark surfer shaka handsign and cruising around on skateboards, a handful of them hung out in the parking lot, their rusted-out vans and pickup trucks with campers reflecting the ever present summer sun. This was a lifestyle, I realized. And why should Hawaiians and Californians get all the fun?

Watching hosts Jack Steward and Colton Smith process their first surfing experience in Alaska had me living vicariously through them. Although dusk was approaching the Turnagain Arm, I couldn’t help but notice the genuine smiles and high energy level everyone on our team shared. And while I couldn’t jump on a board and get in the water, I was happy just the same. This would be the first episode of “Rock the Park” season six, and it felt great.

Our crew partnered with the staff from local shop TA Surf to find this unique wave, ride it, and film it in just one take. The logistics were pretty simple. Local tide charts predicted the time, our surf guides knew the best place to launch, and we divided the camera team into start and finish positions to capture the action.

SHOOTING B-ROLL OF THE CHUGACH MOUNTAINS NEAR THE TURNAGAIN ARM. NOTE THE WILDFIRE SMOKE