Habitat 67 (standing wave)
Encyclopedia
Habitat 67 is the name of a standing wave
in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. Informally named for the adjacent Habitat 67 housing complex, it has become a popular destination for whitewater kayaking
and river surfing
.
The wave is created by as fast-moving water hits underwater boulders, creating a wave that can reach as high as two metres. The Lachine Rapids features other two-metre breaks, including a wave further upriver near Lachine
, known locally as Big Joe.
Corran Addison
, an Olympic kayaker and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, was the first to surf the Habitat wave in 2002. His river-surfing school, Imagine Surfboards, has taught 3,500 students since 2005. A second Montreal river-surfing school, KSF, has hosted 1,500 students a year since 2003. From fewer than 10 original surfers, it is estimated that the current of participants numbers around 500.
Standing wave
In physics, a standing wave – also known as a stationary wave – is a wave that remains in a constant position.This phenomenon can occur because the medium is moving in the opposite direction to the wave, or it can arise in a stationary medium as a result of interference between two waves traveling...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Informally named for the adjacent Habitat 67 housing complex, it has become a popular destination for whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...
and river surfing
River surfing
River surfing is the sport of surfing either standing waves or tidal bores in rivers. Claims for its origins include a 1955 ride of 1.5 miles along the tidal bore of the River Severn...
.
The wave is created by as fast-moving water hits underwater boulders, creating a wave that can reach as high as two metres. The Lachine Rapids features other two-metre breaks, including a wave further upriver near Lachine
Lachine, Quebec
Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.-History:...
, known locally as Big Joe.
Corran Addison
Corran Addison
Corran Addison was born in South African and is a slalom canoer, white water kayaker, surfer and surfboard designer, now based in Montreal, Canada....
, an Olympic kayaker and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, was the first to surf the Habitat wave in 2002. His river-surfing school, Imagine Surfboards, has taught 3,500 students since 2005. A second Montreal river-surfing school, KSF, has hosted 1,500 students a year since 2003. From fewer than 10 original surfers, it is estimated that the current of participants numbers around 500.