The quest (4/4)

It's September 2017. We are all very excited for the fall season to start on the Great Lakes, but no waves are yet in sight. Everyone is slightly disappointed and anxiously waiting for winds and waves to come. I decided that this would be the best time to interview Pat.

I am happy to share with you the portrait of Patrice Manuel through my series of photos #isurf.

1. Did you go surfing there every day in Ottawa?
Every day I went with my suit, I would wait and then ask people if I could buy or borrow a board. People did not want to sell me their boards and no one offered to try their boards. Until one day, I met a guy (who again I am very grateful), Marco. He had a big board and he lent it to me for the rest of the season. In Ottawa, the season is short. I also had another friend in Ottawa and we both tried to do it, but we just had one board. When Marco gave me his board, it was perfect. On top of that, I had lost my job and I was unemployed. So I surfed every day for two months in Ottawa.

2. During these two months, did you meet more people in the Ottawa surf community?
It was amazing! There I met a surf crew called gypsy sabotage. We were three or four guys. We started going there a lot. This is when we started to advertise surfing in Ottawa. That was even before the surf shops had boards, they just had SUPs. Now it's different in Ottawa: they have annual surf jam, they work closely with the city and the firefighters now. There has been a lot of work with the city and the community. Surfing established itself in a very short time. As soon as I moved out of Ottawa, everything changed quickly for the better.

3. After Ottawa did you arrive to the Great Lakes?
I then moved to Guelph and I knew we could surf the Great Lakes. I had heard about it, but I did not know where to go, I did not know how it all worked and I had never seen pictures. But I knew it was happening. In my head, I thought that if it can be done in a river, it can also be done on a lake.

4. Tell us how you started on the Great Lakes?
The first time I asked someone about it, I was told about Kincardine. Then one day, I saw a strong northwesterly wind that was hitting Kincardine. I told myself that it must be it and I went to Kincardine. In Kincardine, there was waves and two or three surfers in the water. When I arrived in Kincardine, I felt like I was in a beach town. When I arrived on the pier and there was a sandy beach, surfers and waves; I thought it was like the ocean. It was the first thing that struck me, it made me feel so good to see that!
After I tried surfing in Toronto. I remember stopping at Ashbridge, I took the bus. I arrived there, it was almost evening. There was only a small wave, up to the knee. The next time, I went to Scarborough, to the bluffs, and there was nothing. I was so disappointed! I went another day but at the Cove, then Mini-Maverick. The Cove was a little intimidating, so I went to Mini-Maverick, but I had a lot of difficulty. That's how it started. Then I started going to several spots, even during the winters, when it was not frozen. I started looking for more spots and I would continue to drive until I found waves. I was surfing more often here than in Nova Scotia.

5. It's been a while now that you surf on the Great Lakes, can you describe the surfing community on the Great Lakes?
It has about three years and a bit that I surf on the Great Lakes. I started surfing steadily last year when I met Larry. Larry sold me a better board for the lakes and I started to surf better and catch more waves. It made a big difference. Then I met many more people and started surfing more regularly.

The Great Lakes are divided into small communities, it's almost like small tribes. I will not say that the Great Lakes are characterized only by one community. Each spot has its groups tied to it. I find that in general people are very nice, quite welcoming. They seem especially nice to me, when compared to my experiences in Nova Scotia and Ottawa. In Nova Scotia, I found people more reserved. In Ontario, in these small tribes, I have always met someone who were happy to meet me.

6. The surf scene on the Great Lakes has grown a lot in recent years, do you think that many people are involved in that growth of the community?
The scene on the Great Lakes has evolved, it has grown a lot. When I met Larry, he was really into helping the community. There are many other people who are involved. Larry has been a great help to the Toronto community. In Kincardine there is Ash. He does a lot and he has a surf shop. It's a very good energy. Of course, there are many people who help the community. Recently, there is Surf the Greats that helps the community a lot.

7. Can you describe your best ride?
Best ride? It was more like milestones for me. One of my best rides was on the ocean at Maruata in Mexico. I was with all my friends. The Mexicans called this spot "lengua" (the tongue) because it would almost project you. I was helping a guy get into the line-up and then I rode a wave and it was my best wave in Mexico. The wave really had a push, a "lengua"; the wave was so beautiful and it was my longest ride.

8. Your favorite spot on the Great Lakes?
On the big lakes, I love Crystal beach. I caught a lot of lefts there. It was during the winters, it was so cold, but I really felt like a Canadian surfer.

9. Do you have any advice for someone who is starting on the Great Lakes?
If the person is already a surfer, but he has not surfed the Great Lakes, I'll just tell him it's different from the ocean. You have to be adventurous, but anything is possible. You must not be fooled by the fact that it is a lake. I think it's a bit of people's impression that since it's a big lake, you can just do longboarding. I'm believe you can use shorts boards and I've even seen people doing airs. You need to go full out.

If the person has never surfed, well I would say it's a good sport. You have to take the time to learn, it's a journey. You have to enjoy each part. You must also connect with the community, they will make your experience a good experience.

The #isurf series follows people of the Great Lakes community and retells their stories through anecdotes, interviews and photographs. #isurf will be released every other month, the first part will be released on the Wednesday and the second on the Friday.

The quest (3/4)

I am happy to share with you the portrait of Patrice Manuel through my series of photos #isurf.

1. Have you had more luck surfing in Mexico than in Nova Scotia?
In Mexico, I found out that I came during the "low season"! I quickly understood that the "low season" did not refer to a lack of waves, but more a lack of amateurs in the water. It was the season of "big waves"! Even the small waves were huge!

2. Was it intimidating? How did you go about it?
There were no amateurs in the water! You had to know where to go, to which specific point breaks and during which specific conditions. But at the time, I did not know that. So when I went to these beaches near the university, there were not really any surfers. That was something I could not grasp in my mind, because there were waves. So I rented boards, I took the bus (which took me three hours to get to the beach) and I would get slammed by waves that were huge. I have no idea how I survived. The waves were sometimes from 2 to 3 meters! They were like washing machines! The current was incredibly strong. I was scared, but I ventured further and further everyday. I took my time.

3. For how long did you continue to do this? Did you manage to meet local surfers?
I did this a couple of times, until I met someone at one of our parties. The guy, Flavio, said he was going to take me surfing and I was not surfing at the right spot. He said it was not possible to surf at the spot where I was.

Flavio took me under his wing and he started taking me everywhere. He even sold me one of his boards. It was awesome! We traveled together in his car, we did roadtrips all the time and everywhere there were waves!

4. Were you just focused on surfing or did you skateboard too?
In Mexico, I also skateboarded. I was there for 8 months. One day in July, after surfing every day for two or three months, I arrived at the beach and there were no waves. It was flat! So I went to the local surf bar, asked people where the waves were and they told me it was "flat season"! I was surprised:
- What? But there were waves yesterday?
- Yeah, but it's over.
- It's over for long?
- For a month.
- A month ? Are you crazy?

I had my first surf withdrawal! So, I did some skateboarding and eventually the surf came back ... I surfed until December.

5. And it was in that same month of December that you seriously injured your back?
In December, during my last session before leaving, I hurt my back. It must have been waves of two and a half meters at my local spot. I was alone, it was early in the morning around 6 o'clock. The waves were so perfect, so beautiful! The waves were tubing! But my tubing was not on point... So when I rode a wave, the lip clipped me and the wave "twisted" me! It did like a "taf" sound when I came into contact with the water. I felt like I had snapped my neck! I came out of the water, I was afraid I broke my neck! But I seemed ok... So I went home and that's when it started hurting. I could not really move my head and the next day I had to leave! It was really my last session.

6. Wow! And you managed to get on the plane the next day? So, did you keep surfing when you came back home?
Back in Nova Scotia, it was not my immediate priority to go surfing. I spent the first of January in bed, I could not really move. I had to take muscles relaxants; I had a lot of muscles spasms and pain. When I returned to university, I had a lot of trouble studying because of my injury and I started physio. I'm still struggling with that injury today. One of my mistakes with this injury was that I had to play on the recreational hockey team that year. I was a month into my recovery and I wasn't suppose to play ... .and then one day I decided to play and I got destroyed! I ended up with bruised ribs and further injured my neck!

7. So from bad to worse?
So physio, physio, physio! And then one day, I saw the guy from Nova Scotia who was supposed to take me surfing (André) and he said there were waves! So he took me surfing! I was not in good condition, but I surfed! He advised me to go to Halifax and it became my goal. Right after that I continued my recovery. I did not surf for months, maybe even a year. Eventually I went to Halifax after university.
When I arrived in Halifax, I did everything I could to surf. Right away, I bought myself a winter wetsuit (6mm). I also bought a big board, it was a 7'1. I went to surf whenever there was an indication of a wave! Often I looked at the websites and it showed 0.2 meters and I still went to surf! I spent so much energy... and gas to find waves! Later I learned more about when to go surfing and I started surfing better waves consistently! And that's how I started surfing in Canada.

8. After trying to surf on the ocean in California, Mexico, and Nova Scotia, you went to surf on the rivers?
In 2011, I moved to Ottawa for my first job; I had become a salesman. However, I did not know there was surfing in Ottawa. My boss was Australian and one day while driving to see customers he said:

- Ah! Did you see that? Are people going crazy? Have you seen people trying to surf under the bridge?

And he showed it to me and there were people in the water. I told him that I would go try it out and he told me that it did not interest him. It was not the ocean. So, I went and the first time I went, there were people surfing. I went every day for a month, because every day I was trying to see if someone would sell me his board; I had left my board in Nova Scotia, but I had my wetsuit with me.

The quest (2/4)

I am happy to share with you the portrait of Patrice Manuel through my series of photos #isurf.

Name: Patrice Manuel (aka Patou, Pato ou Pat)

Occupation: President/ Founder of the Central Canadian Surf Association (CCSA)

1. Where do you come from in what part of Canada?
I am from the Maritimes, New Brunswick, in the Acadian Peninsula in the northeast of the province. I come from a francophone community. In New Brunswick, we are at 42% Francophone, almost half of the province. In my little village, I grew up by the beach. My father is a fisherman. I have always been close to the water. On the other hand, there never really was waves, not that I could see with my eyes. In any case being younger, I did not look at the right places.

2. Originally, did you start with skateboarding or surfing?
In elementary school, I started skateboarding in 7th or 8th grade. At the time, I was alone with a friend of mine. There were some skaters, but they were all punks. At that time, in the late 90s, it was still a sport seen with a bad eye: we did not have a good image of skateboarding and not many people to look at apart Tony Hawk. He had a better image, but most of the others were "punks". So that's a little culture in which I grew up.

One day, I wanted to go to university to do music. A university came to make a presentation at my high school. They talked to us about their university in Nova Scotia and in the presentation, there were surf photos. During the presentation I asked why there were surf photos and they said there was surf in the area. I told them that I was interested. That same night, I told my parents that I had decided where I was going to go for university and that I was leaving home. Nova Scotia is 8 hours from home.

3. Did you start surfing as soon as you arrived in Nova Scotia?
In September, I went to university in the little village of Pointe-de-l'Église in Clare, Nova Scotia. It was the only francophone university in the region. I could not find waves; I did not know people and people did not seem to know where to find them. I was a little disappointed.

One evening, I went out with my friends and met a guy who surfed (named André). He said he was going to take me surfing, but it was almost winter, and I needed a wetsuit because of the cold water. I told him surprised: "Do people even do this during the winters?" And he said, "Yes. I have a wetsuit. I'll lend it to you, it's winter! ". Unfortunately, I did not succeed in surfing with this guy for the next two years. I saw him from time to time. Some days, he said there were no waves and other days he told me that I had just missed the waves. So I never surfed for the next two years.

4. For two years? Where do you surf for the first time?
Yes, I was disappointed. Finally for my 3rd year, I had just come back from Finland, where I had also done a student exchange, and then wanted to do an internship in San Diego, California. I also wanted to go out there to learn to surf. It seemed ideal. I found a company in San Diego and they were doing marketing. They hired me and I could do my internship. I bought all my stuff (suits, etc ...) and I had all my papers. At the Toronto airport, I was stopped for a green card problem and I stayed with my uncle in Toronto for about a month. During that month, I discovered that the company was fake and that it was a scam. Finally, I did not go for an internship and there was nothing I could really do. However I had already bought my plane ticket, so I said to myself, "Look! I'm going to leave anyway, I already paid for everything". And that's what I did.

So my first surf trip was not planned. So I got there and went to Ocean beach. I took a surf lesson with a Mexican champion of the 90s. He took me to a surf spot that was more or less "secret". There were big waves and I did a full day surf session. The whole time I stayed in San Diego, I rented boards and got slammed in the waves every day. I could not figure it out!

So that's how I started.

5. Did you continue surfing when you got back to Nova Scotia?
When I returned, my program manager informed me of another exchange program in Mexico. I was hesitant and she said:

- It's Mexico! You can surf there.
- Is there real surf there?
- Yes, you can surf there and you will be one hour from the beach.

I called my friend with whom I went to Finland and I told him:

- Dude! You wanna go to Mexico?
- Fuck yeah!

And that was it. We went to Mexico.

The quest (1/4)

I am happy to share with you the portrait of Patrice Manuel through my #isurf photo series. Patrice has travelled a lot in search of waves. Originally from New Brunswick, he now surfs the Great Lakes. Patrice and I have spent numerous days exploring the Great Lakes. In our group, Patrice is the person pushing us to discover new spots and ride every wave we can find!

It had been a long school week

I could feel myself drowning under the pressure of my engineering assignments. Luckily for me, I got the regular surf phone call from Mark! He was thinking of heading out to Lake Huron for a whole day! The winds were good and it seemed that we could have a whole day of surf. The next morning, I was in Mark’s van. However, on that day someone else had taken my seat (I would usually sit at the front) and that person was Pat.

“Hey man! My name is Patrice, but you can call me Pat!”

Mark met Pat while surfing on Lake Erie. They both started chatting in the water and it didn’t take them long to realize that they were both from Guelph. Pat grew up in New Brunswick and comes from the village of Saint-Simon. Following his father’s footstep, he worked on his dad’s fishing boat since he was 9. He would pick up surfing while on a trip to San Diego and would go on to travel around the world before settling in Guelph, Ontario.

Pat always has this huge childish smile on his face

His enthusiasm is always more contagious when we talk about surfing! Pat is always checking out for new spots to go to, enjoys chatting with other surfers and has the most hilarious stories. He always keeps notes of the conditions and spots after each of our surf sessions and never gives up on the search to find the hidden gems of the Great Lakes.