ST. JOSEPH, MI --

A high wind blowing across Lake Michigan raised the waves as expected, but then sent them crashing in every direction instead of creating a rolling surf, a Lake Michigan surf board enthusiast said Tuesday morning after an hour in the water.

"The wind's ridiculous," said Cameron Mammina, who had taken Tuesday off work to don a wetsuit and

"Waves are everywhere and don't have any shape to them. It was exhausting."

The gale force winds across the lake's surface last night-- a result of low pressure from Hurricane Sandy meeting high pressure out of the north--

but then created difficulties for surfers trying to enjoy them, Mammina said.

The wind caught any portion of the board protruding from the water to give it a yank, he said, and made even carrying the board along the beach an exhausting battle. "The wind was the biggest challenge," he said.

Mammina gave it a try for awhile at least. "We had to do it, just to do it," he said, but he decided by late morning to try again tomorrow, when the waves may not be quite as big but may "clean up" for a more enjoyable surfing experience.

"That's what we hope for," Mammina said.