When you imagine surfing, you probably imagine tanned, bleached blonde dudes catching waves in California or in some exotic tropical setting. You probably don’t think of Munich, Germany, even though Munich’s legendary icy Eisbachwelle river, nestled within a quiet city park, was a major surfing hotspot for Germans looking to catch a wave.
Unfortunately, according to NPR, after a cleaning mishap, the unusual German surfing utopia is dead.
This November, after city engineers finished dredging the two-kilometer Eisbach canal, they reopened the river’s floodgates. They discovered that they accidentally ruined Munich’s most iconic wave, nicknamed “E1” by those in the know. Where there used to be a 1.5-meter standing wall of water, there’s now a paltry little splash that makes the river look sheepish compared to what it used to be.
Speaking with NPR, Munich River Surfers’ Association member Alexander Neumann says the problem is that the dredging crew got maybe a little too enthusiastic, did maybe too good a job. There was a drowning in the river last April, and engineers became dead set on removing hazards. In the process, they removed a crucial bump of sediment within the riverbed. That bump, it turns out, was essential for creating the hydraulic jump that forms a surfable wave. Without the bump, there are no waves, and without the waves, Bavarian surfers are left with no place to hang 10.
Now, surfers and city officials are trying to figure out how to bring the bump back. Solutions range from adjusting water discharge to dumping gravel back into the canal. A Hamburg-based engineering team is now mapping the riverbed with sonar strapped to a boogie board. It’s like an old inspirational movie where the community bands together to rebuild a cherished landmark.
The surfers who frequented the river to catch some tasty waves are getting a little impatient. Their impatience has bred ingenuity. Some of them secretly installed a wooden ramp in the river and attempted to resurrect the wave, and it worked. Sort of. It worked for a day before authorities removed the illegal DIY fix.
Officials promise they’ll bring the wave back. Eventually. Hopefully. Soon. Maybe.
The post Munich’s Iconic Surf Wave Vanishes After Cleanup Mishap appeared first on VICE.
