Surf the Greats
250 Carlaw Avenue Unit 101 M4M 3L1 Toronto, ON, Canada

For this installment of Surfer’s Voice we checked in with Luke Morstad of Outlier River Surf, to find out what it is like to open a surf shop and teach surfing in Calgary Alberta. Luke touches on the early days, and the future of river surf in the Canadian Rockies, and opens up about his own personal journey as a surfer. Check out the full story in our journal!

Rip Curl, AquaTech and Surf the Greats are joining forces to celebrate the incredible progression of surfing and surf photography on the Great Lakes. Submit your photos of your Greatest Wave this winter for a chance for both surfer and photographer to be rewarded with incredible prizes and stake your claim as the Lakes’ greatest. All across the Great Lakes, the level of surfing and surf photography has progressed incredibly over the years and this winter it’s going to get ev...en better! Every great surf image has two key ingredients, a dynamic surfer and a skilled photographer. In this contest two surfers (men and women) and their respective photographers will win gear to help take their game to the next level. A panel of five expert judges, including Andrea Diaz, Dom Domic, Zak Noyle, Mathea Olin and Noah Cohen will review a selection of images at the conclusion of the contest. The judges will be scoring the images based on quality of the wave, dynamism of the rider, and overall aesthetic and technical quality of the photograph. Head over to our website for more information and start submitting your entries now! https://surfthegreats.org/pages/greatest-wave

It's a new year we know there are better days ahead and epic waves in the forecast. Our shop is reopening for curbside pickup with our regular business hours on January 5th. All holiday gift returns and exchanges will be processed starting January 5th and the deadline for processing is January 15th. Pop by our side door or reach out to us via phone, email or online chat if you have any questions.... We look forward to seeing you soon!

Starting today, we are making changes to our operations to continue to safely serve our communities. Our coffee shop will be closed until further notice and we are no longer offering in-store shopping. You can shop online for curbside pick-up or choose next day contactless delivery anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area for a flat fee of $20including surfboards! As always, we ship anywhere in the world and offer FREE SHIPPING on qualifying orders anywhere in Canada and continental USA. We appreciate all the support and look forward to welcoming you into our shop again when it’s safe to do so. Stay well, think positive and support local. www.surfthegreats.org

The holidays will undoubtedly be different this year and finding ways to show our love and support for family and friends has become increasingly important. With a new found focus on function over frivolity, the waters have been teaming with enthusiastic surfers, paddlers, sailors, divers, and swimmers alike. If you happen to have one of those water enthusiasts on your list, we’ve assembled this holiday gift guide to help you find just the right item this season. https://surfthegreats.org/blogs/journal/holiday-gift-guide

These legends from our community have made the national news. We are all united through our passion for cold water. Team Atomica https://www.cbc.ca//group-swimmers-lake-ontario-cherry-bea

Capturing the beauty and the beastliness of fall in the Pacific Northwest with Marcus Paladino Photography. Enjoy it! https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/canadian-harvest/104253

When you think of surfing, Canada probably isn’t the first country that comes to mind. While our waters are cold and our winters are hard, our hearts are warm and our wax is soft. In this vast country, we are fortunate to border three oceans but in Canada you will find as many surfers inland as on the coasts. Our surfers are modern day voyageurs, constantly exploring, knowing that our best waves are yet to be found. We are as diverse as the boards we ride and the endless ri...vers, lakes and oceans we surf. In Canada, we cherish our differences in and out of the water because once we don our hooded wetsuits, we are all the same. https://surfthegreats.org/blogs/journal/surfing-in-canada Quand nous pensons au surf, le Canada n’est probablement pas le premier pays qui nous vient en tête. Alors que nos eaux sont froides et nos hivers sont difficiles, nos cœurs sont chaleureux et notre wax est molle. Dans ce grand pays, on est chanceux d’être entouré de 3 océans mais au Canada vous trouverez autant de surfeurs sur le bord de l’océan qu’au beau milieu du pays. Nos surfeurs sont des voyageurs des temps modernes, explorant constamment, ils savent que nos meilleures vagues restent à être découvert. Que ce soit par nos planches que nous surfons, par nos rivières infinies, lacs et océans, nous sommes tous différents. Ici, au Canada, on chérit nos différences dans l’eau comme à l’extérieur parce que lorsque nous avons nos wetsuits à capuches, nous sommes tous les mêmes. Video by: Mirror Image Media & Beechwood Productions Additional footage by: David Kalinauskas, Jake Brenner, Keenan Bush, Luke Morsta & Tristan Lafontaine Voiceover: Linzee Barclay

It smells like fresh resin and it’s one of the most exciting days of the year. Another series of hand-shaped custom surf crafts have just arrived from Wax Surf Co and they are some of the most beautiful boards we’ve ever seen. Pop by the shop to check them out. But hurry up, as these beauties won’t be on the racks for very long... Nick Mitzenmacher https://surfthegreats.org/collections/surfboards

We don’t care if Monday’s blue... Will Borgman Katy Nguyen Sam Moffatt

In early Spring 2019, Jacob Kelly Quinlan completed his goal of surfing 100 river waves around the world. His years of surfing rivers has allowed him to connect with various international groups, develop course curricula, deliver presentations and surf some of the most remote river waves ever discovered. This week, Quinlan alongside filmmaker Nico Walz, released a short film documenting his journey. Read the full story and watch the film on our journal. https://surfthegreats.org/blogs/journal/the-wave-we-choose

This past weekend saw further progress in the gradual return of competitive surfing in Canada. The Surfing Association of Nova Scotia - SANS hosted their annual Fall Classic Shortboard Competition under ideal conditions at Lawrencetown Point. Blue skies and open clean faces set the stage for top level surfing across all categories. Check out the photo gallery by local photographer Jacob Taljaard. https://surfthegreats.org/bl/journal/sans-fall-classic-2020

If you missed the amazing live performances by Wayley, Randy Luke Enns, Erica Knox and Kadeema Music last night, enjoy the recording with your family and friends. And if your household has the means, consider making a small donation to Jack.org. Together, we can revolutionize youth mental health in Canada. https://jack.akaraisin.com/ui/jackfriday/

We just received a shipment of CatchSurf soft-top surfboards and they are available at the shop just in time for the waves this week. Order online or pop by to choose yours in person! https://surfthegreats.org/collections/foamies

The ocean may not judge based on sexuality or gender identity, but many surfers do. Surf culture reflects our demographics to an extent, and most surferscertainly those with the most influence in the culturelikely live in homogenous, affluent, socially-conservative coastal enclaves. But surf culture seems to skew even more regressive on LGBTQ+ issues than our demographics would suggest. https://www.surfer.com/features/history-lgbtq-surfing/

Stand up tall, sit in peace, sing along, and move with us. Together we can revolutionize youth mental health in Canada. Live with Kadeema Music, Wayley, Erica Knox and Randy Luke Enns. Donate to Jack.org now at: https://jack.akaraisin.com/ui/jackfriday/

The Cove Cleanup has always been a celebratory gathering with the community at The Bluffs. With social gathering limits inhibiting this annual event, Larry Cavero and his family creatively developed an alternate plan abiding by the pandemic guidelines this year. Surf Dreams Canada Online Surf Shop https://surfthegreats.org//jou/the-cove-beach-cleanup-2020

Tiki culture, surfing, and Halloween weirdness. Three seemingly independent entities that are more entwined than you'd think... Check out our new journal post and Halloween playlist by DJ Waves. https://surfthegreats.org/blogs/journal/freaky-tiki

It’s generally assumed that as a SUP enthusiast and instructor, my favourite season is summer. And while I do love a warm weather paddle, fall is actually number one on my list. The crowds die down as the water cools and the brilliant leaves add beauty to flat water paddle excursions. But the top reason I love autumn is that it marks the beginning of the SUP surf season. Read full article by Jordan-na Belle-Isle. https://surfthegreats.org//journal/four-seasons-of-sup-fall

Our friends Aurélienaka Frenchyand Ryan James just dropped a rad short surf film directed by Parker Bement documenting their strike missions in spring on Lake Ontario. Check it out! https://vimeo.com/462208393

For this edition of Surfer’s Voice we spoke with professional wakeboarder, lake surfer, and outdoor enthusiast Erika Langman about the crossover between boardsports, what drives her to get her stoke on, and the magic to be found in surfing in your backyard. https://surfthegreats.org//jou/surfers-voice-erika-langman

Furthering our commitment to support youth mental health, we will donate 10% of all sales today to Jack.org. Join our Jack Friday event today. Stand up tall, sit in peace, sing along, and move with us. Together we can revolutionize youth mental health in Canada. https://surfthegreats.org/blogs/events/jack-friday

Played similarly to ball golf, disc golf uses discs that are thrown towards a chain-link basket. The object of the game is to complete the round with the fewest throws of the disc. Toronto boasts a total of five courses. All of them are free to play and are a great way to escape the concrete jungle and explore the natural areas around our city. ChainLink Disc Golf https://surfthegreats.org//journ/disc-golf-an-urban-escape

We are fully stocked on Carver Surfskates again! Pop by the shop or order yours online and get ready for our surf season. https://surfthegreats.org/collections/surfskates

Our new threads have just arrived cozy and Canadian surf style. Order online now. Sam Moffatt Photography https://surfthegreats.org/collections/surfthegreatsapparel

Our Back to Cool Sale has been extended until Saturday, September 26th and we will be adding products daily this week. When you pick two items from our sale collection, you get a third one for FREE. Shop online or pop by the shop! https://surfthegreats.org/collections/sale

Check out this article by Red Bull Surfing featuring local legend Larry Cavero from Surf Dreams Canada Online Surf Shop! https://www.redbull.com//surfing-the-great-lakes-canada-gu