RIVER SURFING FORECAST & NEWS: Seems our last push of Chatfield release (most likely for the season) has come in just below surfable levels for Sixx. We had hoped to put on an event but will have to cancel the Sixx Surf Jam until next season.
It is always sad to let the local river surfing season go but we had the best surfing season on record for the front range starting with the mid-latitude cyclone over Metro-Denver May 11th-14th and surf lasted well late into the summer. Add in Scout Wave showing up literally the day after we lost water from Chatty and we kept on surfing.
Unfortunately or fortunately, Scout Wave’s step down of flow starts 5pm Monday per Water Order FAP 23-40 and will drop to native flow by Friday 9/8/23. Our guess is Scout will be at best 400cfs or possibly much less the rest of the month. Bitter sweet but this hopefully will allow the work on Pocket Wave 2.0 to begin and repairs later to Scout after Pocket Wave 2.0 is completed…. Much respects to Salida and Mike Harvey (REP) for the Scout Wave surf the last part of this summer!
For you hardcore river surfers, Montrose will be surfable thru end of October. Spot requires a 4/3 wetsuit even when the air is warm.
Also, don’t give up locally for small surf. Chiclets is looking excellent this morning. Dave’s Wave is surfable and will be surfable all fall and through the winter. Never know if we might get some late monsoon heavy rains and surf, that historically has happened in September (Boulder floods happened Sept 11th/12th 2013).
Due to many of us with personal calendar conflicts and most of us transitioning to snow sports season; we are going to forego an end of river surfing season event. Instead we will plan a proper pre-season event next spring.
Lastly, we sadly lost an icon for surfer music dreaming of tropical breezes…
Jimmy Buffet (12/25/1946 – 09/01/2023)
“I ain’t afraid of dyin’
I don’t need to explain
I feel like goin’ surfing in a hurricane….”
RIVER SURFING TIP: Look for deals on wetsuits/booties/etc and boards this Labor Day weekend.
SURF TRIVIA: Where was the first professional wave pool contest held?
PRIOR SURF TRIVIA ANSWER: “Bird’s Surf Shed” in San Diego, CA is a famous surf shop housed in a large quonset hut building with probably the best collection of historical surfboards in the world. If you are in the San Diego area, it is worth a visit!
CURRENT PLACES TO SURF: See table below and check Jake Voss’ Wave Guide for details on these waves https://endlesswaves.net/waves/.
| RRP | Possibly Surfable | Sixx Wave needs 135cfs but can be faked at as low as 100cfs or even lower. Benni’s needs 220cfs (water at bottom of pfd/helmet sign) and Chiclets can be surfed starting at 80cfs but can also be high volume board surfed much lower than than that. Rain bumps and snow melt bumps can be surfed at Sixx |
| BEAVERS | Possibly Surfable | Needs 100+cfs and blows out at 400cfs. Entry is from downriver where the iron rail fence ends. Real shallow surf |
| 16th STREET | Possibly Surfable | 200cfs to 400cfs Longboards and is real shallow now |
| DAVE’S WAVE | Possibly Surfable | Surfable 12 months out of the year. High tide is very late in the afternoon and need longboards. Blows out over 500cfs or so |
| BINGO WAVE | Not Surfable | Need a high volume board or inflatable board |
| SCOUT WAVE | Surfable | Look for good surf thru 9/5/2023 w/ project water ending and dropping flow to native release by 9/8/23 of about 350cfs+/-. Crowds continue. Need a backup CGA PFD but no tickets have been written yet for non-compliant vests. |
| CAÑON CITY WAVE | Possibly Surfable | Need a battleship sized board to surf this crumbly wave. Here is the live streaming cam for it: https://www.youtube.com/live/X_iECBFS7gY?feature=share |
| MONTROSE | Surfable | Appears to be good per vids on the socials. Though is a 5 hour drive from Denver. |
LINKS TO KNOW:
Chatfield gauge (takes 2-3 hours to impact RRP; click on raw/all values then table view for 15 min updates to flow levels): https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/PLACHACO?params=DISCHRG
RRP gauge (click on raw/all values then table view for 15 min updates to flow levels) flow below 130cfs or so means it is too low for Sixx: https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/PLAUNICO?params=DISCHRG
Sixx Pole Cam: https://www.senserasystems.com/public/embed/3M7824646H83
Dave’s Wave gauge (is about 3 hours off since the closest gauge is way down river. So look at prior day’s gauge amount and adjust your mind…. i.e 3pm Friday should likely be noon Sat current conditions… Need at least 200cfs to surf Dave’s on a longboard or inflatable): https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/PLAHENCO?params=DISCHRG1
Scout Wave gauge (1,200cfs or lower is surfable): https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/ARKSALCO?params=DISCHRG
Scout Live Web Cam: This webcam gets wonky at times and so does the webpage for it. At times it is focused full time on Scout but way too often, other times it cycles different views and briefly on the wave: https://www.coloradowebcam.net/camera/salida-co-lower-wave-arkansas-river-zoom-tenderfoot-mt
Cañon City Wave Live Pole Cam: https://www.youtube.com/live/X_iECBFS7gY?feature=share
LBK
Going to miss Jimmy Buffett…. It’s always Five O’Clock Somewhere….
The Denver Surf Report 