Interview with the President of the Ottawa-Gatineau River Surfing Association

To immerse yourself in river surfing is to dive into the world of freshwater, in all its forms. While river surfing in Montreal boasts a rich and diverse community, there are many others around the world. Some are more clandestine, while others bring surfers together in greater numbers, like the one around the Esbach wave in Munich.

Through a series of interviews, we aim to shed light on these different communities, their realities and their challenges. To produce a kind of family tree that would enable us to better redefine or rediscover the great family of river surfers.

For this first interview, what better way than to meet our “cousins” on the border between Quebec and Ontario. On the border between French and English. At the confluence of two rivers. It's between the Gatineau and Outaouais rivers that we find the Ottawa Gatineau River Surfing Association (RSOG) and its beautiful community so dear to the association's president: Trevor Cunningham. Trevor kindly agreed to tell us more about river surfing in Ottawa and Gatineau and the life of the RSOG association.

Source : Phill Amey

🙋Hi Trevor. Could you briefly introduce yourself ?

Hi, my name is Trevor Cunningham and I'm the current president of the Ottawa and Gatineau Surf Association. I've been surfing here for about 15 years.

I grew up in the Caribbean, but ironically it was when I moved to Ontario that I started surfing seriously. Today, this passion is a big part of my life.

It was really by chance that I discovered river surfing. My house was right across the street from one of the best-known waves here: Sewer Wave. I went there purely out of curiosity and met Paul, who is now one of my very good friends.

When I wanted to try it out, I didn't have a wetsuit. So I borrowed one from my wife's friend. It wasn't ideal, of course, but it was enough for me to go to Canadian Tire the next day and buy another one. From that day on, it became an obsession.

🏄‍♂️If I understand correctly, you're mainly a river surfer ?

Yes, it's safe to say that I'm mostly a river surfer. Of course, I sometimes go surfing in the ocean, but when you have a family and waves that work almost all the time right next door to you... the question doesn't really arise. It's a real advantage to be able to live here and surf so easily.

🤩And what do you like the best about river surfing ?

Oh, that's easy! The community, of course! It's really special what we have here. It's definitely what brings me the most pleasure when I'm surfing in Ottawa and Gatineau. In fact, the community is the primary reason for the existence of the RSOG association. We really want to cultivate and preserve this community spirit that we have.

🔨Could you tell us a little about the RSOG Association and why it was set up ? 

There are many reasons why we decided to set up the association. But the main reason is quite original, because it was above all the problems with the police that forced us to organize.

Source : Dean Gaboury

👮The police ? Really ?

Yes. We have a wave right here in the middle of the river. Unfortunately, the police received many calls from concerned pedestrians and motorists when they spotted surfers. One day, a member of the community was threatened with criminal prosecution and was almost taken away by the police.

It was events of this kind that prompted the community to mobilize to set up a structure to prevent such mishaps. Objectively speaking, it's easier to make your voice heard in an office or meeting room than in a wet suit by the river.

Of course, there are other reasons too, such as the desire to preserve and maintain existing waves, or to create new ones. There's also the desire to organize and plan events around the community.

🤙And today, what would be the raison d'être of the association ?

Today, most of our problems with the police have been resolved. I would say that the main driving force behind RSOG is the preservation of our community. We're not necessarily looking to grow it, or to make the sport more popular. Above all, we want to make it safer. But that's not always easy, because if you want to make access to the waves safer, or build new ones, you need to have a minimum outreach to the authorities and the public. But do you really want it? In this kind of situation, we all try to act together. As a community. And in the best-case scenario, succeed in making decisions.

😁How did the community react when the idea of creating an association emerged ?

The project was well received overall. Obviously, it's always difficult to get unanimous support, but I think people felt that our aim was really to protect and serve the interests of surfers in the region. Initially, in 2018, there were three of us around the table: Mike Billinger, Tim Stiles and myself. We were visited and supported by Neil Egard of “Surf Anywhere” and the Alberta River Surfing Association. This was invaluable in helping us understand how an association works. Then, after nine months of discussions and meetings, we were able to launch the idea and really get started on the RSOG Association project.

Source : Reilly Walton

📝Do you know how many members your association reaches ?

That's a good question. Unofficially, I'd say around a hundred people.

But that's not a very representative figure. For example, the Facebook page has around 3,000 people. But then again, there aren't 3000 active surfers on our waves. So it's hard to give precise figures. And honestly, I don't think it's very important, or at least it wasn't when the association was created. Today, our primary aim is to represent the color of our community, but also to support surfers. Being a member allows the association to evolve and to offer ideas or support projects that are dear to the community that frequents the waves.

📢How do you educate new riders about the rules and values of river surfing ?

I'd say it's all pretty informal. When you arrive on one of our waves, you introduce yourself to the group and everyone is ready to pass on a little of their knowledge to you. Through this transmission, you discover the things to remember and the lessons to learn.

Our association is simply a reflection of our community. So our mission is the same as the community's: to surf in a fun and safe way. 

🚧What are the main obstacles for surfers wishing to practice their sport in Ottawa and Gatineau ?

I'd say it's more a question of taking safety issues into account. A lot of new surfers have discovered surfing on the ocean and think that all they have to do is copy what they learned here. But safety rules are not the same. The transmission of rules and good habits still needs to be worked on. The kayakers who surf with us are a little more used to this. They really look after their own safety, but also that of others. They always make sure their friends get out of the river, whereas we tend to look at the next one down. 

🤔What are the RSOG association's upcoming projects and events ?

I'm probably going to repeat myself, but serving the community in the best possible way. I think our members really appreciate the social and festive events, but also the competitions. It's something we'd like to develop further, but it requires a lot of work and energy. But it's definitely something we think about regularly.

We'd also love to develop new waves. The configuration here is a little different from Montreal. We're more of a winter community and less of a summer one, because the waves don't work as well. Having the possibility of having an “artificial eternal” wave that works year-round would be great. Obviously it would change the face of our community, so that's also something to consider when thinking about these kinds of projects.

Again, my desire, and I think the association's as well, is to be a vehicle for the community and help it move in the direction it wants to go.

👍Do you have personal projects regarding river surfing ?

Above all, I'd like to continue enjoying the waves in my region. I'd also like to return to surf at Habitat or in other parts of Quebec. I'd like to go back to British Columbia to surf the Skookumchuck wave again or discover new ones. But what I really want to do is continue to enjoy river surfing and meet other surfers who love freshwater surfing as much as I do.

🫶A final word ?

I feel very lucky to be here and to belong to this community of river surfers.

When I left British Columbia, I had no idea that surfing would become such an important part of my life.

And it's largely thanks to the community that I feel so at home here. You have to see and hear those who wait in line, when one of us achieves a feat or simply manages to stand up for the first time. That kind of clamor and warmth is a rarity.