ABOUT THE PHOTOS
These 4 photos were taken over the course of the last 4 years on some of the greatest surf days that the Great Lakes have offered up.
Surfing here is hard. Fresh water is much less buoyant, waves are less predictable and come in quicker periods than in the sea, and it’s usually pretty damn cold. That’s what makes it all worth it when you get up on a freshwater wave.
When the winds are right and you know where to look, a Great Lakes surfing day offers something that no other body of water can. That’s why, like any good surfers, locals here are hesitant to share the locations of their favorite spots in order to keep them a secret and preserve what makes these breaks special.
ABOUT FLOW
FLOW (For Love of Water) is a nonprofit based in Traverse City, dedicated to standing up for water preservation and fighting corporate takeover and destruction of public lands & waters.
Some of their topics of focus include:
Enbridge's Line 5 Pipeline - A nearly 70 year-old oil and gas pipeline running through open water across the Straights of Mackinac. These pipelines transport nearly 23 million gallons of oil & gas EVERY DAY to a refinery in Sarnia, Ontario. The deteriorating pipes have already experienced several near-catastrophic failures and a rupture is inevitable; putting the Great Lakes in danger of a major oil spill.
Nestlé's takeover of Michigan's groundwater - Nestlé (yes, that Nestlé) was issued a permit - approved under Governor Snyder's administration - to pump 400 gallons of groundwater per minute (that's 210 million gallons per year) out of a well in Evart, Michigan. Nestlé then sells this water back to the public under the Ice Mountain brand of single-use plastic bottled water. This pumping has already harmed the environment in the Chippewa Creek watershed and is quickly depleting Michigan's groundwater reserve. How much did Nestlé pay for that permit, you ask? A whopping $200.
ABOUT THE FRAMES
These custom frames were handmade by my good friend Carter Wheelock of LMBR + HIDE right here in Traverse City. Carter and his dad logged and milled all of the wood themselves out of local Ash trees that had been affected by the ash borer beetle. These locally-sourced sustainable frames are produced specifically for this print set and exist nowhere else.
