Only the people who have been coming back to the waves under varying conditions will know the necessary CFS for the wave to form. Morris talked about these Jedis of the river: “There’s definitely wave hunters—people out there who navigate the rivers and understand when waves are in [and] at what flow rates.”  

Though river surfing has been around for some time, it remains niche. Paddling hard, screwing up lots, and overcoming hours of frustration for seconds of thrill aren’t challenges for the faint of heart. Acquiring sufficient river knowledge also poses a major hurdle for newbies. 

“You definitely need to be brought into the river-surf world in order to experience it,” said Morris. “I just was lucky enough to have some friends who knew that community and invited me into it.”   

However, the technical hurdles aren’t insurmountable, and public waves in Missoula, Bend, Colorado, Boise, and beyond have made access more available. “That’s where there’s always lots of people,” said Morris, “and lots of community and fun.” 

All river waves have unique entry points. Sometimes, you jump from a rock and swim parallel to the wave, trying to time your entry with the correct revolution. Some waves are in the center of the river, where there’s a higher risk of getting stuck in the rapids and sent downriver until you can make it to an eddy. To learn the timing, a river surfer will likely spend the first hours failing. Again, and again, and again.  

“Sometimes you’ll land,” said Morris, “and you’ll get in the wave perfectly and then you just won’t paddle hard enough, and you’ll miss, or you’ll paddle hard enough but you’ll be slightly one little length to the left, and you’ll miss the whole wave. So it’s very precise, which makes it challenging, but fun.” 

With water pounding and crashing, filling the riverbanks to the brim, you might wonder: How do you not die? What are the risks? 

“You need to learn how to fall shallow,” said Morris. “Spread yourself, because if you fall deep and you torpedo deep, you can hit your head […] You definitely need to know flow rates and where eddies are so you don’t end up floating down the entire river—and undertows and what’s beneath you—so you don’t fall too deep and hit rocks.”    

To mitigate risk, river surfers wear a quick release leash right below their knee. “If your board gets sucked underneath,” said Morris, “you pull a little tab on your leash and your whole board will release. Because if your board goes under and it gets sucked under the river, you’ll go down with it.”  

Simple. There are rocks under there. Just don’t hit them. Don’t get carried by the current. Wear the right leash and a helmet so you don’t get sucked under with your board and drown. Know the river. 

There is a reward for overcoming the cold water and the risk. “It’s different flowing in a river on a board than it is in the ocean,” said Morris. “You just feel like you’re moving with the world in a different way. Once you get the wave, it’s yours. No one else is on the wave, there’s no lineup. Until you fall you have the wave. So I think that’s what makes river surfing really unique, is it’s yours.”