Paddlers want to turn the Grand River, south of the Parkhill dam in Cambridge, into a surf destination.
A group called Surf Cambridge has launched an initiative to turn this dream into a reality.
They want to install a “wave” in the water for kayakers and surfers.
“It would be about 30 metres down river from the bridge,” says Surf Cambridge director Nicole Drummond. “They will put a plate with a bladder underneath and it will be controlled by an iPad. You can raise and lower it to create the angle of the wave.”
The group says conditions in the water are only good for surfing about two to three weeks out the year.
But installing the “wave” would extend the surfing season to 10 months.
The organization they’re working with, Surf Anywhere, has built similar “river waves” in Calgary, Oregon, and the Czech Republic.
“The cost of the wave is about a million dollars,” says Drummond. “That’s equivalent to what the city would spend on building a skate park.”
