River surfing
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River surfing was pioneered by Jon Imhoff in 1989 on the Shotover River in Queenstown, New Zealand. It started by simply riding a body-board down through white water rapids in the same way a raft does.[citation needed]
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[edit] Types of river surfing
[edit] Standing waves
In this type of river surfing, the wave is stationary on the river, caused by a high volume of water constricted by flowing over a rock and creating a wave behind. A river surfer can face up-stream and catch this wave and have the feeling of traveling fast over water but not actually be moving.
An annual surfing competition is held on a standing wave in Munich, Germany. [1]
[edit] Tidal bores
It is also possible to surf tidal bores, waves created by incoming tides, along coastal rivers such as the pororoca on the Amazon River [2] or England's River Severn. [3][4]
[edit] Other types
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Other types of river surfing include running rapids and a phenomenon that's been called Squirting, which involves catching a strong downward current with your board and being pulled down many meters under water, where you fly downstream with the current.
[edit] Equipment
The equipment used in river surfing is usually the same for ocean surfing, but with a life jacket and helmet for the extra safety needed. Most river surfers will use a body-board, but a stand-up Malibu board can be used for surfing standing waves. Or a device called a river sledge has been invented made from hard plastic, with handles to grip. Which offer more protection from rocks in shallower rivers. Boards are less buoyant in freshwater surfing than in the salt water of ocean surfing. [5]
