A small band of enthusiasts has helped the remote region of Kamchatka become a year-round mecca for surfers. The Moscow Times reports

The hill overlooking Khalaktyrsky beach in Siberia’s Kamchatka region offers a stunning view in winter, stretching out over snowy volcanoes and crystal-clear ocean waves crashing onto black volcanic sand.

But look closer at the icy waves and you might see an unlikely wetsuit-clad silhouette since the beach has become home to a group of intrepid local surfers who ride the waves not only in the warm summer months, but in the long and freezing winters too.



“Years ago people here didn’t care about the ocean. The beach was completely empty,” says Anton Morozov, a surfer and owner of local snowboarding and surfing school, Snowave. “You could meet young guys who had lived their whole lives in Petropavlovsk, but had never even seen the ocean.”

Now, despite its remote location and lack of facilities, Kamchatka has begun to draw a steady stream of tourists to its stunning scenery – and its surf.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest On Khalaktyrsky beach the water is sometimes warmer than the air. Photograph: Alexander Gerasimov/Moscow Times

15 minutes of fame

Kamchatka first grabbed Russia’s attention two years ago when Surf in Siberia – a collection of film-making surf enthusiasts – devoted a video to the region’s winter waves.



“Kamchatka is an incredible place,” says Konstantin Kokorev, the organisation’s founder.

“I’ve been here before several times – saw the ocean, the gulf, ships sailing – but I had no idea you could surf here. People who live here have no clue they have world-class surfing opportunities.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Surf in Siberia’s first 15 minute film caught Russia’s attention

The film was soon picked up by local and national media and in the two years since local surfers say the number of tourists to Kamchatka has significantly increased.



Learning to surf

Morozov started surfing more than 10 years ago. “I’d always wanted to try, but back then there was nothing that would help me … All we could do was watch movies and documentaries and try to figure out how,” he says.



When he tried for the first time – in the summer – he used a borrowed wetsuit and an old surfboard a friend had left him. “The suit was no good for surfing,” Morozov says. “And we had no idea how to do it, when to get nice waves, how far to swim. It took me months to learn all these things.”

At some point the struggle ceases and leaves pure joy in its place Anton Morozov

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Anton Morozov tried winter surfing five years ago and fell in love with the beauty of it. Photograph: Alexander Gerasimov/Moscow Times

Morozov and other enthusiasts gradually gathered enough information and experience to enjoy their new hobby. Soon they wanted to try surfing in winter.

“I saw a video with a guy surfing in the winter in Canada, and the beauty of him riding the waves against the snowy background just stunned me,” Morozov said.

His first winter experience, without winter wetsuit, boots or gloves, was excruciating. “My hands quickly went numb in the water. I ran out of the ocean screaming in pain and was afraid I wouldn’t be able to ever warm them again.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest When they first started the surfers lacked the proper equipment. Photograph: Anton Morozov/Moscow Times

Despite the bone-chilling cold, he fell in love with it. “We went to the ocean in the morning, right before the sunrise. It was unbelievable – because of the low temperature the air was crystal clear, the sun was rising from the water, our black diving suits contrasting with the white snow,” he said.

This is his fifth surfing winter. Morozov and his fellow enthusiasts now have the necessary gear and surf three to four times a week.

“That feeling, when you struggle with yourself in cold water and at some point the struggle ceases and leaves pure joy in its place is special for me.”

‘Pure torture’

Lyudmila Tanachyova loves to surf and though she finds the cold a challenge she’s found herself braving the icy waters out of necessity.

“Here in Kamchatka we have only three months of summer, if you take a break for the other nine months, the next summer you have to learn things from the start all over again,” she says.

Originally a rock-climbing instructor, she first tried the sport last year. “I caught the wave and started falling, imagining the moment I would go underwater thinking ‘Oh my God, here comes hell’,” she says of her first experience.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Surfing fanatics are drawn to the stunning landscapes despite the freezing temperatures Photograph: Anna Gavrilova/Moscow Times

During winter, the water measures around 2C (35F) with an average air temperature of -15C, but both Tanachoyva and Morozov agree that the greatest obstacle in winter is not the cold but the lack of facilities.

When snow buries the road to the beach it can only be reached with a snowmobile, and a small beach-hut provides scant protection from the elements. “It’s pure torture to put on a diving suit in the cold,” Tanachyova said.

Untapped potential

Sergei Rasshivayev, a professional surfer and head of the Russian Surfing Federation, also believes that winter surfing is the most interesting direction the sport has taken.

“It’s a great way of challenging yourself, of experiencing completely different emotions. Surfing among palm trees is not intriguing anyone these days – surfing against a background of volcanoes and glaciers is,” he explains.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Could winter surfing be the next frontier for the sport? Photograph: Anton Morozov/Moscow Times

He has been to Kamchatka several times to surf. “When I first went there, the beauty of the place literally took my breath away,” he says.

Rasshivayev, who also founded Surfholidays – a worldwide network of surf schools – believes Kamchatka shows promise despite its remote location.

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“I think there is potential, and it’s quite significant. Kamchatka needs modernization, that’s true, but it’s not completely shabby either,” he said.

Morozov said “potential” does not even begin to cover it.

“I study many things about surfing – climate, landscapes, weather conditions, winds, streams, and I’m positive there are many amazing places for surfing in Kamchatka that simply have not yet been discovered. But at some point we will,” he says.

A version of this article first appeared in The Moscow Times

