Pueblo's 3rd Wave @ 1050 CFS - SUP for the Soul

Due to the recent spring storms, Pueblo Reservoir has been releasing extra water. Lucky for us, this means the waves at the whitewater park turn to gold! For this time of year (before the spring melt really starts), the waves in Pueblo are the best in the state. Recently Scott Powers and I made a trip down to catch a few waves.

surfing the 3rd Wave on the Starboard Impossible (photo cred: Eric Thomas)

I was expecting glassy waves this time so I brought the Starboard Rush thinking it would be the best board for the day. I also took the Starboard Impossible and the trusty Hala Peno. Scott brought his Starboard Stream along as well.

As it turns out, at 1050 CFS none of the waves at Pueblo are very glassy. Last year the 3rd Wave was SUPER glassy at 900 CFS, and pretty glassy at 1400 CFS. At 1050 CFS the 3rd Wave isn’t very glassy, but still a lot of fun. The wave had enough height to generate speed down the face and make some nice turns.

At 9’6″ the Starboard Stream was the longest board we brought and unfortunately didn’t fit in the wave very well. As with most inflatables, it had a tendency to get flushed off the wave once the nose touches the water.

The Hala Peno faired better. At 7’11” it was small enough to fit the wave. Though it still suffered similar problems as the Stream: once the nose touched down it’s hard to recover. It was easier to keep the nose up than on the Stream, but the wave was pretty rowdy and made it difficult to surf.

Progressing to an even shorter board, the Starboard Rush comes in at 7’4″ and fit the wave even better. After some getting used to, the Rush surfed fairly well and was able to make some nice gentle turns. It also was easy to paddle into the wave.

The shortest board in the quiver, the 6’6″ Starboard Impossible, turned out to be the best board for the wave. It was the most difficult to paddle in the eddy and to catch the wave on, but once on the wave it was fairly stable. The length fit the wave perfectly and also allowed for the best turns.

The surf in Pueblo is so much fun! Based on the flow reading from the past week it looks like surf season might be in full swing for Pueblo. If you haven’t had a chance to surf there, be sure to put it on your list.