Surf in my Alaskan hometown is a seasonal event. Seven months of the year our surfboards would sit collecting dust if we chose to sit and wait for the weather patterns to shift and the swells to surge our way again. This spring with a long summer of no surf approaching, I was excited to get the call from Don (a.k.a. Iceman)- Alaska Airlines is having a sale . . surf trip to Yakutat at the end of May!
Some creative thinking brought about a plan to send Iceman’s four wheeler down to Yakutat on the Alaska marine highway ferry with our 12 surfboards. The 10 of us would follow along a week later in the jet. This worked out great, saving us hundreds of dollars in excess baggage charges and as a major bonus we had a beach buggy waiting for us in Yakutat. Iceman put his carpentry to work and slammed together an African-safari style rack for the wheeler that made it possible to put all those boards on the poor thing and still drive it onto the ferry.We were very excited when we found the four wheeler in Yakutat still upright despite it’s top heaviness from all our surfboards on the surf-safari rack.
Once in Yakutat we rented a suburban, piled in as many surfers as would fit, then crammed a couple more in, then exhaled all together and slammed the doors. Thirty painful minutes, and 30,000+ jarring potholes later we burst from the suburban at our beachside resort a soggy stand of trees with a nice spongy undergrowth of moss. 
We later learned that notoriously rainy Yakutat had actually broken a rainfall record the day before our arrival. The next couple hours were spent trying to find dry wood for a fire, before we finally gave up and used the four wheeler gas instead. With our domestic chores out of the way, we scrambled into our wetsuits, waxed our surfboards, and headed for the water.
So began a four day surfing marathon. I am still in shock at the amount of surfing a few mid-fifty year old diehards can do. Of course, they may credit it to the handfuls of anti-inflammatories they would eat for desert each night, but pills and whiskey aside, that was still astounding feat of surfing dedication. There must be something about Alaskan surfers and the challenges that they must overcome to surf the last frontier that drives them to another level of addiction. I used my photography excuse to take rest breaks on several occasions while my surfing buddies/models just kept going, and going, and then it would get too dark to photograph, and they are still surfing. This is really saying something during an Alaskan summer where the sun doesn’t even set until after 10pm.
The surf was great for our entire stay, each day the wave faces shifted between chest high to a few feet overhead depending on the stage of the tide. We felt fortunate with very little rain and even some sunshine during our stay. The views of Mt. St. Elias were few and fleeting, but I did manage to get a couple photographs of it one gorgeous evening as we walked the beach to our campsite at sunset.
For most of us, this was our first surfing trip to Yakutat, but I doubt it will be the last. Everyone had a great time, and I don’t think I’m alone looking forward to the next time the phone rings and Iceman says Pack your bags, Surf trip to Yakutat- Yahooo!
If you have your own story to tell or questions about surfing in Yakutat (or Alaska in general) leave a comment below.
To see images from the trip – click here for a Surfing Yakutat, Alaska photo gallery.
Comments
18 responses to “Surfing Yakutat, Alaska”
hello from trace carlos in homer alaska. I just want to thank scott for all his great work on that trip, and thank all who were there to make my surfing experiance a lot better. i have had a great summer and have taken up kitesurfing. . which i love to do, been out 30 + times this summer and love my new found sport. So I have been really having a great summer so see you guys next time and surfs up.
that sounds like a great trip – we did a one day trip to Bear Glacier right when some waves were coming in from the Pacific, nice swells with a decent break. But it looks like Yakutat has it beat. Great photos – great story.
Looks fun!!!!
so when did you come to yakutat i live hear and i was wondering how much surf pics do you have of hear and if you have any more then wuts on your site can you emil me them so i can use them for a project
@ Trace – Thanks buddy. I’ll get together a story and photos of you kitesurfing this winter.
@ Mark – It was a great trip! Yakutat, once you are there, is logistically a bit easier than Bear Glacier, and I think the surf is a bit more consistent. Thanks for the kind words.
@ David – I was there in May/June 2007. The weather kept me from getting as many shots as I’d like, but I managed enough good ones to be satisfied with the photo results. The surf was great, and I’m sure we’ll be back. I do have more shots, you can see a selection of them here – Yakutat, Alaska surfing photos.
I make my living by selling licenses (permission) for others to publish my photographs, so we’ll have to talk about what you are working on.
greetings from oregon thinking of making a trip to your fair state theis summer (probably not the best time of year for waves, but you never know might get lucky) we want to camp and I have children the youngest is seven, they’re hardy boys and love camping trips any do and don’t suggestions
First time I’ve seen these shots…. Amazing!!! I heard it was good but wow!!
Yea, the surf here is amazing. It’s the only place I’ve surfed where you can see the mountains on one side and the forest on the other
Seeking to buy a surfboard in Anchorage.
Your pictures of Yakutat are amazing. I remember when surfing was not that big in Yakutat. I met Steve Hawk and the Dr. in 1994. And they love it and the people. The whole small town feel.
Your pictures make me miss home.
ReGina Rioux
nice
Hello Scott
Your pictures from Alaska are incredible
I am currently trying to set up a surf trip to Alaska with a friend of mine. The only period we can go is early March. Is it a good period for surfing?
As we surf in NY,we have aall the gear for cold weather but carrying the board over there seems expensive
Could we rent some?
I am really looking forward to your answer and thanks a lot in advance for your help
Yohann
Gotta catch up on comments in this post, sorry for the delayed response.
@ Stewart – If you want waves in the summer I would suggest either Yakutat or Kodiak. Summer is certainly not the best time for waves in the better known Alaska surf spots. But this is a land of undiscovered breaks. Hope you made it up here, and will let me know if you found any gems.
@ Brad – Thanks.
@ Stan – amen to the scenery in Alaska. I love it.
@ Charlie & C. – I would suggest talking to Jack at Icy Waves surf shop in Yakutat, Alaska. Tell him you are an Alaskan surer and Scott Dickerson sent you. He does what he can to help us out. Also check with Kevin at Cold Salt in Sitka. Best of luck in your search.
@ ReGina – Thanks. I am actually just back from another great surf trip down to Yakutat. We camped on the beach for seven days and surfer at least 5hrs per day! love that!
@ Anksu – thanks.
@ Yohann – March is a good time for surf in Alaska. If you are coming as far north as Homer be prepared to surf in sub zero temps though we can also have warm days in the high 30s as well. The only places I know of that actually rent boards in Alaska is Icy Waves surf shop in Yakutat and Cold Salt surf shop in Sitka.
Scott
is it possible to fly into yakutat with a big back pack, and then take a taxi to the surf spots, and tent camp? where is the best place to camp and walk to surf spots,
thanks
steve
Hi Steve – The answer is yes. I don’t know where the ‘best’ place is, there are several options. Much of the land is owned by the local native tribe so it’s good to ask permission if it’s their land. The taxi should be able to tell you anything you’d need to know about that, it’s a very small town. The camping/surfing spots are a pretty good distance out of town so you’ll probably want to plan on having everything you’ll need for a few days at a time.
Hope you can make it happen!
Great to see this webpage up. I am currently doing research for a book I am writing and will be taking a trip to Alaska within the next few years. I am happy to see that I can combine my love of surfing and my work on this project. As I get closer to my trip I will be utilizing this page more and hopefully will meet some of you locals when I get to Yukutat.
Cheers for now. Good health and best wishes all.
Hey Scott? is October a consistent month to catch surf in Yakutat? I will also have access to a boat. think my odds are good? If they are not just lie to me to send positive vibes……..been waiting 7 years to surf Ak and its finally going to happen! Just hope after spending 300 dollars in tickets and 5 days of paid vacation i get lucky.
October is good for surf anywhere around the gulf of Alaska really, I bet you scored!