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Stuck Inland Oregon? Surf With Dino

As a global crew of Land Locked Surfers, one of our goals is to build an archive of Community Leaders passionate about helping others discover the stoke of surfing outside of the ocean. This network will help accomplish our vision of an accessible point person for each surf community, location, and discipline. For example if you live the United States, Oregon region, and are trying to get into Wake Surfing then Dino Wilson is our recommended point of contact. He is an all around incredible human being and is passionate about sharing the stoke he finds out on the water.

If you are looking to get into wake surfing in Oregon, need insight on different lakes/equipment, or just want some pointers, reach Dino via his Instagram account: @dino_time

Let’s get to know Dino, your Oregon wake surf connection!

Q: Give us some background, who is Dino Wilson?

Dino: I’m a teenager who just turned 16 on July 2nd from West Linn, Oregon. I have always been around the rivers and lakes in Oregon and Washington. My GP (Grand Pa) would take me out to boat on Lake Washington and the San Juan Islands and my Dad would also take me out on the Willamette river. I have always seemed to like or do hobbies that were not what other kids were doing. After being introduced to wake surfing 4 years ago it has turned into one of my favorite things to do.

Q: How and when did you get into Wake Surfing in Oregon?

Dino: I was introduced to wake surfing in 2013 at a Tige Endless Wave Tour event at Camp Farwest in Wheatland, CA. I remember showing up there with my dad and GP thinking we were just going to check out boats. None of us really knew much about wake surfing. I had only been tubing and wakeboarding a little behind our 1990 Supra boat at that point. Apparently my dad had signed me up for a clinic with Sean Cummings and it was right when we arrived. At that point I had no idea what was coming next. We got into this huge Tige boat and Sean handed me a board and rope. They pretty much tossed me in the water and the rest is history. I met so many great friends that weekend and fell in love with the sport.

Q: Through your eyes describe the surf scene in Oregon, what are you doing to help it grow?

Dino: I know there is great ocean surfing on the Oregon coast and that’s something I want to try some day. Even though I have only been ocean surfing a few times in Hawaii, I have come to love surfing behind a boat. I know there is some amazing river surfing in Bend, OR and hope to do that soon as well. I want to bring more exposure to wake surfing for those who only think of ocean surfing in Oregon. I think @land_locked_surfing is a great way to spread the word and hope to explore and share my other surfing experiences here in Oregon. I have wanted to create some kind of school clubs based around wake surfing. It would also be cool to organize a wake surf event here on the Willamette river.

Q: What drives you to get better everyday and move up the ranks?

Dino:  What drives me to get better everyday is to think back over the last year after I broke my leg snow skiing on Mt. Hood. The long recovery time has made me appreciate being healthier and able to just get out on the water. Having to take last season off due to the injury now makes me appreciate every time I can be on the boat with friends and family and enjoy the sheer fun of landing something new. I’m excited for the upcoming competitions I’m signed up for.

Q: What Are your goals as a wake surfer for 2017?

Dino: Besides finally being able to see old friends and meeting new ones this season, I hope to qualify for Worlds in Kelowna, BC this September. My passport expired over the winter and I didn’t just get it renewed for nothing!

Q: In the world of wake surfing who do you look up to most and why?

Dino: I met Parker Payne at some comps when I just started wake surfing. I have always looked up to him because I know he was young when he started and throws the craziest tricks on both surf and skim. He’s always posting something new and has been fun to watch being on podium at the pro level. My first custom board was the Payne Killer and get reminded of the insane tricks he can do on it and I hope to do someday.

Q: As a Land Locked Surfing Community Leader, what are your areas of expertise new riders should ask you about?

Dino: Wake surfing is something that not many people have tried because they don’t have access to the right kind of boat or know how to get a good wake. I love introducing wake surfing to people who have never done it or heard of it before. I can let riders know where good spots are and also how to weight their boats properly. Also there a lot of different resources out there I can point them to.

Q: Outside of Wake surfing what are your other passions?

Dino: I like to fly drones and especially my FPV (first person view) quads. Riding my Onewheel everywhere is one of my favorite things to do because people just stare and give you a very puzzled look. Another passion I have is making videos. I’ve always been interested in photography and videography and work on using these interests in my edits. When I’m not doing these things you can find me in the garage with something I took apart or putting back together. There is always something I’m working on or want to do next and never enough time.

Q:  What is something funny very few people may know about you?

Dino: Something funny not many people know about me is that once I got my mom in trouble from a middle school teacher. She put one of those Jumbo Hershey Chocolate bars in my lunchbox. I decided to eat it during computer lab with a friend and we got chocolate all over the keyboards and carpet. She got an email from my my teacher scolding her on sending me to school with a Jumbo Chocolate bar and would appreciate if she would not do that again!

If you are looking to get into wake surfing in OR, insight on different lakes, or just want some pointers, you can reach Dino via his Instagram account: @dino_time

Keep an eye out as we will be introducing more Community Leaders from more regions and across more disciplines. In the meantime, head on over to @land_locked_surfing to see what other inland surfers are doing all over the world to get their fix! Keep the stoke alive!

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Ottawa River Surf Jam

On Saturday April 22nd, 2017 Ottawa’s only local Surf shop, Surf Side @Surfsideottawa will be hosting the Second Ever Ottawa River Surf Jam at the Bate Island Standing Wave (The Wall)!

Last year a dedicated member of Surf Side, Alex Copp @Coppdis organized the inaugural Ottawa River Surf Jam last April, 2016. There was between 20-25 (Male and Female) Land Locked Surfers from across Eastern Canada, who braved the frigid temperatures and cool winds to compete at Bate Island.

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The event was a great success with over 150 excited spectators enjoying the sunny display of Slashes, Ollies and even a 360 by local legend Dave Crichton @Davecrichton. Another local big name River Surfer took home the Prize for Most Stoked Surfer, John Rathwell @Searchingforsero. After qualifying for finals, Dave (Crichton) ended up winning Best Trick with his 360 and also landed First Place for Best Overall Surfer, which also resulted in him walking away with a brand new Odysea Skipper provided by rad guys at Catch Surf!

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Kelsey Chiappa @kchiappa, another well-known name in Canadian Water Sports Community placed first in the Women’s category, which landed her in the Top 5 Surfers of the Event. All contestants were awarded a Goodie bag full of fun surprises and the Top 5 Surfers were handed some tasty hydration units from White Water Brewery. We were extremely lucky to have so many great surf brands backing the event last year as well as the kind people at David’s Tea for keeping the contestants and bystanders warm with complimentary hot beverages! For more photos from the 2016 Event

This year we are grateful to once again have a handful of like-minded brands supporting the growth of the Ottawa River Surfing Community! Here’s a list of confirmed sponsors who donated some awesome prizing for The Second Annual Ottawa River Surf Jam: White Water Brewery, Vissla, Surf Ontario, @Land_Locked_Surfing and North Board Distribution (FCS, Gorilla Grip, SexWax & Xcel Wetsuits. Surf Side will also be grilling up some Hot Dogs and Hamburgers for the Surfers, while we would appreciate it if spectators could bring a non-perishable food item (to Donate to the less-fortunate) in exchange for a hot dog or burger.

The water levels are high and Mother Nature’s appearing to be cooperating with our plans thus far! If you are in the Ottawa Valley this weekend make sure to get suited up, grab your board and head out to Bate Island, mingle with the local River Surfing Community and watch the regions top-notch River Surfers rip up The Wall!

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For more information on the Second Annual Ottawa River Surf Jam check out the Facebook Event Page or contact surfsidesteven@gmail.com

To order your own CANADA LAND LOCKED SURFING T-SHIRT Click here Or if you you’re in Ottawa check out Surf Side, They have a limited number of T’s!

KEEP THE STOKE ALIVE!

Ashley Fraser of the Ottawa Citizen took the Photos of Alex Copp Judging1, Dave Crichton Surfing2 and Bate Island4. Josh Brose took the Photo of John Rathwell Surfing3

 

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Confessions of a Landlocked Surfer

Jacob Kelly Quinlan is river surfing. It’s hard to put into words the magnitude of positive impact he has on the river surfing community. Which is why we are honored to have him as a guest writer today! Prepare yourself for a man’s journey of how and why he does what he does. Want to follow Jacob’s river surfing escapades more closely? Go ahead and give him a follow on Instagram @jacob.kelly.surfs  Or check out his Personal Website  & Surf Anywhere where he is Director of Communications and Culture.

Confessions of a Landlocked Surfer
By Jacob Kelly Quinlan

Before I get started I just want to take a second to thank Kirk for all his hard work. I love following the @Land_Locked_Surfing Instagram feed. I often smile seeing the happiness that surfing brings to people living miles from the ocean. When he asked me to write something for Landlockedsurfing.com I was nervous, to say the least. I think his words were, “You are someone a lot of people look up to; think of this as a mini autobiography.” If I were to write an honest biography, I don’t think people wouldn’t look up to me much anymore but then again, perhaps we’re not so different.

My story probably isn’t much different from yours. The surf bug sunk bite me in warm, far off waters. It was a thrill like no other but strangely, it felt some how familiar. The ocean hugged me like the embrace of a loved one. Sure, the saltwater took some getting used to (or the rash on my nipples if you’re looking for the bloody details), but riding my first wave was as if the ocean was already inside me, like a favourite song. The act of surfing played the melody out loud.

Let’s back it up a bit. I grew up in small town Alberta. Not quite like chickens running around but plenty of white picket fences and friendly neighbors. I was raised with three brothers, a golden retriever and played hockey for 13 years of my maturing life. I earned good grades, hit Lake Louise or Fortress Mountain once or twice a year and did my best not to stand out too much. About as Canadian as Maple Syrup, eh? Then off to university I went. You know, get a degree, get a good job, raise a family… I had a good handle on how my life was going to work out.

Then surfing took over.

“I don’t know, I just want to get out of here.” That was my cousin Courtney telling me she was signing up for a work visa in Australia and I should go with her. I’m not sure if it was me who agreed or the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum but after some paperwork and 24 hours in a cushy airplane chair, I was in the land down under, feeling the ocean on my bare skin for the first time in my life. Within a week I was on a six-day Surf Safari with 20 or so best friend strangers sleeping on the beach and discovering this new musician named Jack Johnson. We learned about swell direction, tides and how wind affects waves. We told campfire stories and sang over the crackle of the fire. We laid awake under the stars too excited to sleep. Our days spent surfing, sunbathing and riding the bus to our next surf beach. Seconds seemed like hours. Every moment, a memory. To this day I feel deeply connected to that trip. To me it was a model of how I want to live each day.

We laid awake under the stars, too excited to sleep. We awoke at first light with the promise of new waves. The whole day was spent in water or on sand. Hours became seconds. Every moment, a memory.

However, the real story begins after returning to the Great White North. I’ve heard of culture shock before but trying to wear flipflops with board shorts in -20° Celsius weather is a whole different kind of shock. My first impulse was buying a 42″ Koa wood pintail longboard and styling out my sidewalk surfing. Bombing hills with the U of L Surf Club connected me with other recovering surf addicts. We watched every surf movie my dial up connection would let me download until my internet provider asked me to stop. I mimicked the motion of surfing on parking blocks, shopping carts, snow, four wheels, two wheels… My birth certificate may have said Calgary but my heart was still back in the sand.

So yeah, that whole life plan I had figured out? That faded about as quickly as my tan turned pale after returning from surfing one of my favorite salty breaks. All time and resources was spent on finding my way to Mexico, California, Costa Rica, Canada’s East and West Coast. I finished my degree and even went back to university for a second one. Summers and student loans allowed me to escape when needed but the one thing that kept pulling me back home was strong family roots and the support of my three brothers. No matter how much the ocean called, Calgary was still my home.

In between finals and tropical getaways, Jeff Brooks sent me a newspaper clipping of him surfing the Bow River. My surf buddy and Tofino roommate was pictured surfing a “wave” no taller than his ankles (click here to see the original article). When he explained the wave was stationary I was a little, let say… resistant. It’s funny now looking back on how stupid I thought the concept of river surfing was compared to ocean surfing. Regardless of my hesitations, I eventually caved and made the trip out to the Kananaskis with Jeff to surf the glacial fed waters of the Kananaskis River. I don’t know what it was about that day in late May 2006; The fresh smell of pine trees, the colour of the frigid water or the mountains rising out of the river valley right in front of my eyes. But when I stood up and surfed that day it was the exact same feeling I had in Australia. Only this time the wave I was surfing was right here at home.

It’s funny now looking back on how stupid I thought the concept of river surfing was compared to ocean surfing.

Surfing rivers began as training for the ocean. I had more wave time in a single session at the Kan than a week of ten second rides in Mexico. Neil Egsgard and the Alberta RSA crew took me exploring every Spring or any other chance of pioneering new waves. I found barreling river waves, head high river waves, and dynamic river waves that changed beneath my feet as I rode them. The best part; I didn’t have to get on a plane and face the lineups. These were world class and endless waves running 24 hours a day without a soul in sight. The only locals we ran into were some scary ass Canadian Geese. I think now less afraid of snakes after hearing those things hiss.

About five or six years in, Neil and I found ourselves boarding a ferry at the Horseshoe bay terminal. We weren’t on our way to Tofino like many other landlocked surfers before us. We were on our way back up the mainland to the Sunshine Coast. Our destination was a tidal rapid called Skookumchuck Narrows. Because the standing wave works with the tides we knew the exact time of day it was working, how long it would be surfable and the exact size of the face. If on the first day I heard about river surfing someone told me I would be driving 14 hours to surf a stationary wave I wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing in disbelief. But as I held the rail of the the BC Ferry and filled my lungs with in the ocean air, I realized I wasn’t travelling this far just to “train for the ocean ”. Those days were over. That was the day I realized I was a river surfer. I wasn’t done surfing ocean breaks but I knew my life would never be the same again.

That was the day I realized I was a river surfer. I wasn’t done surfing ocean breaks but I knew my life would never be the same again.

My addiction brought me to new waves.  Seeking out most of the major river wave communities in North America and even over to Europe to surf the birthplace of it all, Munich Germany’s Eisbach wave. Surf Anywhere was invited to speak at the Wave Building Forum (Forum Flusswellen). From there we continued on to tour Europe, surfing ten new waves, most of which were man-made using a variety of methods and materials. We were researching for our own wave building projects and I was out to find that feeling I had on the beaches of Australia’s east coast.

There are many differences and similarities between surfing an ocean wave and surfing a river wave. The thing I notice most is surfing requires a kind of silent focus. Rivers are loud and especially in the white water where waves are found. Your ears are filled with white noise of a raging river and with your surroundings are constantly changing your brain can’t move fast enough to rely on vision to process your environment. Taste and smell can’t really help you either so the completely relies on touch. Your feet planted firmly on the board beneath you, the river begins to wash away your body and everything that is carried with it. All your hopes and worries. All of the pains and pleasures of this world. You can’t see five seconds ahead of you or five years back. You are poured into the present moment and become one with the constantly changing river flowing under you at 30 cubic meters a second. For a brief moment you transcend to a medium that spreads across the entire globe. It is high in the sky, under the earth, and it courses through the veins of you and I. It only lasts for sublime moment but in that moment you are free.

Today I continue to fly and drive to find freedom and flow on river waves around the world. I help the landlocked pioneer new river waves and help them start efforts to build waves in the rivers of their hometowns. I teach beginners to the sport and spread a message of etiquette and safety. Above all, I work to preserve a culture that is unique to river surfing. One of respect and tradition.

So my confessions are these. I have dedicated my life to something that very few people in the world even know about. It has no promise of job security or retirement savings. As I type this my own tooth is wondering when I can afford to have it’s cavity filled. Too often I cut my grocery budget and live off butter pasta and apples to save for my next surf trip. I wrap myself in neoprene and drive to the mountains in in a snow storm to get another fix. I look around my home and don’t see it filled with expensive things. No garage stocked with toys and tools. Some say I’m chasing a dream or others think I need to grow up. Maybe they are right. But what they don’t get to see is a home filled with memories. Photos of life changing experiences that unlocked my deeper calling. Scars on my body from the times I pushed what I thought was possible. Wrinkles on my face, not from stress, but from way too much time on the cool water under the hot sun. Most of all, a list of 78 river waves I’ve surfed around the world and on my way to hitting 100 this year. A life of chasing surf is not one I recommend to most but I’m happy to know there are people out there reading this who hear it’s calling and that is what binds us together as one big landlocked family.

– Jacob Kelly Quinlan

Want to follow Jacob’s river surfing escapades more closely? Go ahead and give him a follow on Instagram @jacob.kelly.surfs  Or check out his websites JacobKellySurfs.com & SurfAnywhere.ca where he is Director of Communications and Culture.

Keep the Stoke Alive!
Kirk