Surfing Lake Erie waves in December? Why now is the most wonderful time of the year

Presque Isle State Park attracts tens of thousands of visitors each week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but the park doesn't close when summer ends. This is the third in a monthly series about activities and events at Presque Isle in the fall, winter and spring.

Never mind the temperatures, December is surf season at Presque Isle State Park.

Frigid winds and relatively warm Lake Erie waters combine for some of the most consistently good surfing conditions all year. On certain days, you might find a dozen vehicles — a few decorated with surfing decals — parked along the road near Presque Isle's entrance.

"It all depends on the wind," said Samuel Harmston, a 20-year-old Fairview Township resident who has been surfing at the peninsula for four years. "Generally, it's Beach 1 (West) on the big days ... and Beach 11 if it's an eastern wind, which is unusual."

Surfing has been officially permitted at the park since 2010, but the policy was expanded in September to allow surfing at all lakeside beaches — outside of guarded swimming zones.

Erie might not be a surfer's Mecca like Huntington Beach, California, or North Shore, Hawaii, but the conditions on Lake Erie are good enough at times to entice surfers from throughout the area.

"It's not like surfing in the ocean, the waves don't get as big," said Jim Samuels, a 56-year-old Millcreek Township resident who has been surfing at the peninsula for about six years. "But Lake Erie can get rough. The biggest waves I have seen were 12-foot ones last fall, but they were ugly. It was chaotic."

The waves were a bit smaller than that on Dec. 7 when Samuels and Harmston were among the surfers and paddle boarders in the water off Beach 1 West.

Wind gusts around 20 mph made it feel colder than the actual temperature of 42 degrees when they arrived at the park at lunchtime. Harmston and his friend, Ty Corbin, 19, wasted no time putting on their wet suits, grabbing their boards and paddling into the 45-degree Lake Erie water.

"With the wet suit, the only thing that gets cold is your face," Harmston said. "Some people put Vaseline on their face, but if you do that you're considered a bit of a wimp in the surfing world."

'The only time my board froze'

Harmston and Samuels said they have surfed in much colder weather. They each recalled last Christmas Eve, when they traveled to the mouth of Elk Creek to surf despite air temperatures hovering in the single digits and a wind chill well below zero.

Why go to the mouth of Elk Creek? Samuels said it was the only spot they knew along the local Lake Erie coastline with open water.

Samuels is glad to say that he surfed that day, but isn't keen on trying it again.

"It's the only time my board froze solid and I could only move my arms like the Tin Man in the 'Wizard of Oz'," Samuels said. "I was paddling on the lake and my teeth were chattering. It was sketchy, but it was an adventure."

Conditions were much more comfortable at Beach 1 West on Dec. 7, though the waves weren't cooperating. Samuels, Harmston and the other surfers paddled on the lake at times for 10 minutes or longer, waiting for a decent wave.

The problem was that the waves weren't forming the way they had hoped, Harmston said.

"The sandbars were jacked up," said Harmston, referring to ridges of sand submerged in the shallow lake waters. "It made the waves choppy and they weren't consistent."

Every so often, a good wave set would form and everyone would ride those larger waves to shore. A long run lasted six or seven seconds before the surfer fell or the wave dissipated near shore.

No sharks or jellyfish, but logs can be a problem

Surfers don't have to deal with jellyfish or sharks in Lake Erie, but they need to be aware of other potential dangers, Harmston said.

"No sharks and I have never had a problem with rip currents," Harmston said. "But you need to worry about logs. There are lots of trees that fall into the lake."

So why deal with the frigid weather, chaotic waves and submerged logs?

Samuels, a former runner and cross-county skier who competed for years in the Highmark Quad Games before developing arthritis in his hips, said it is a great workout. More importantly, it provides an adrenaline rush.

"When you catch a wave, that acceleration is so exciting," Samuels said. "And all the paddling you do out there is great strength training for your core."

Samuels and Harmston both said they plan to continue surfing in Lake Erie into the winter, as long as conditions are good.

Some surfers will prepare for colder days by pouring a small amount of warm water inside their wet suits before padding into the lake.

It's called "prewarming" and it reduces the shock on a surfer's body when they first jump into cold water. Prewarming also saves energy by reducing the amount of effort needed by the body to warm the water next to the skin.

How long will the season last? Until there is no open water, Samuels said.

"When the ice dunes form, that's when it's over," Samuels said. "Until spring."

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: December is prime Lake Erie surf season at Presque Isle State Park