All river surf spots are not created equal. They fall into one of two categories: a wave or a hole. A hole is characterized by having lots of whitewater. This whitewater is caused by the flow of water reversing direction and flowing back upstream on the surface of the river. This reverse flow is what keeps you in the hole while surfing instead of getting flushed down stream.

A wave has little to no whitewater and the current only flows downstream. On a wave, it’s the height and steepness of the face that keeps you on the wave. Gravity pulls you down the face of the wave to its lowest point.

Some river surfers enjoy holes, others enjoy waves. Hands down I prefer waves over holes. On waves the ride is much smoother, you have more control and you feel like you’re surfing an ocean wave. Whenever I go river surfing, I always look for waves.

The following is a video from Miracle Wave in Denver. It’s a great example of a wave (although a small one). It’s completely glassy (no whitewater), and offers up some amazingly smooth and sweet rides!

Written by | Benjamin

Benjamin Smith is a land locked surfer living in Colorado. He gets his surfing fix on the local rivers, where he SUP surfs standing waves.