DAYTON, Ohio — As icy water laps her board and her family cheers from the shore, Fiona takes a deep breath and plunges toward the rapids.
Finding her balance, she comes onto all fours, then one foot comes forward shaking slightly as she gathers the strength to bring herself to standing position.
Suddenly, she’s done it. She’s joined an exclusive, but growing list of river surfers who’ve taken on the Great Miami River, many under the instruction of Shannon Thomas.
Thomas has been teaching his classes at Dayton’s Riverscape Metro Park for about three years, bringing more and more students into the fold every year.
“They come from all over and it’s usually just someone who wants to try surfing but they’re landlocked,” he said.
Growing up in Dayton, Thomas said he’s always had a love for the river. He spent years riding the waves in a kayak and later a standup paddle board. When he learned about river surfing it seemed like the next logical step.
In 2014, he gave it a shot and never looked back.
“It’s pretty much just for everybody who wants to enjoy the river and can do it safely,” he said.
Rivers create their own natural continuous waves, especially along dams and rapids. River surfers find a spot where the currents meet with enough force to keep a board in place as long as riders can keep their balance.
“There’s enough power that you, you know first you start boogie boarding and then pop to your knees and then stand,” Thomas said.
From there, the physics of riding the wave are similar to ocean surfing, but according to Thomas, the waves are lower and longer.
“An ocean wave, you know it’s changing it builds so you kind of have to time and you only have if you’re lucky an eight second ride whereas here it’s an endless wave so once you’re up you can have two-, three-minute surfs,” he said.
At first, Thomas was one of few Dayton surfers willing to give the river a shot, but after a few good surf years under his belt, he launched Surf Dayton, alongside Santa Cruz native and EMT Jake Brown.
In the hopes of spreading the sport, the two began offering lessons in 2018. Almost every clear afternoon and weekend in the summer, you can find at least one of them leading a class.
Before they ever go in the water, it starts with a safety talk on the riverside. Everyone gets a personal flotation device and learns how to wear it properly.
“The first thing you do is tighten the sides,” Thomas said demonstrating to his latest group of students. “I like to get mine kind of low.”
Next, they learn how to safely tether themselves to their board and get the proper equipment.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time you’ll never have to pull that here,” Thomas said, demonstrating the release mechanism. “It is very, very safe.”
He said that’s the most important part. Thomas and Brown want to ensure anyone who tries river surfing does it safely and with the right equipment.
“We rent paddle boards and surfboards also, but we don’t rent surfboards unless someone has taken a lesson with us prior,” Thomas said.
They keep it all stocked in a new surf shop Thomas built last year out of shipping container. The pair have a partnership to supply Badfish boards and products.
“They’re actually made to hold in a river wave,” Thomas said.
Right now the shop is a few blocks from the river. Thomas walks students back after a session to climb up to its roof and debrief about the day’s surf.
“Just look at the sunset and see the Riverscape and the downtown skyline,” he said.
Much of Surf Dayton’s summer is already booked with lessons. Thomas said students are traveling in from across Ohio and even as far as Detroit to give river surfing a try and as the sport expands, he said Surf Dayton likely will too.
By next year, he hopes to build onto his shop, see even more students and maybe move the operation even closer to the river.
Until then though, he said he has plenty of students to keep him busy riding the final waves of the summer season.
