Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
0 Likes
0 Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • Paddling

Catching Biggie: Kayaker Benny Marr Braves a 100-Year Flood to Catch the Wave of a Lifetime

  • May 13, 2020
  • Mountain Life Media
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

words :: Benny Marr. 

The wave face was clean as I dropped in—980 cubic metres of water moves downstream fast. I looked over my shoulder and pointed my boat upstream, leaving enough angle to try and slide to the peak at its steepest point. I was swept through the trough and rose the face, timing my last three strokes.

I caught the wave. After 13 years of trying—I caught it. But upstream, the century-old dam at Bells Falls on the Rouge River was barely holding back the flood. Three hours later, the entire lower Valley would be evacuated and off-limits. [In April 2019, flooding of the Ottawa River and tributaries in Ontario and Quebec led to the declaration of a state of emergency and deployment of Canadian Armed Forces.—Ed.]

The wave broke loudly behind me so I moved over to my left to play the shoulder. I couldn’t believe my luck.

That first surf was joyous. I played tentatively, feeling the speed of the water connecting with my carbon kayak’s hull. The wave broke loudly behind me so I moved over to my left to play the shoulder. I couldn’t believe my luck. The wave cleaned up and I threw a trick, nowhere near the potential amplitude on offer, but a big and snappy aerial combo.

I’d surfed this wave before. My first attempt was in 2006—I was 20 and my friend Joel was 17. The older paddlers had left, which created a bonding experience for the two of us. We thought we knew something they didn’t. We didn’t catch the wave that day but we did name it: Biggie Smalls.

By April 2019 I’d surfed this wave in a variety of boats a total of 11 times. But I longed to surf it in my freestyle kayak. I’d been camped out beside the takeout for three nights, running the massive rapids upstream and keeping my eye on Biggie. This was certainly the year to stake out this feature, with both the Ottawa and the Rouge looking to peak well over anything myself or my generation had seen.

Biggie Dave Barnes Illustration Kayaker Notorious B.I.G.
Illustration: Dave Barnes

I was looking at Biggie in the morning and saw the peak of the wave break, and crumble upstream. I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be able to catch this thing in my freestyle kayak. I surfed the wave, then I went upstream to session the rapids. I was planning to take the afternoon to session Biggie, but when I arrived at the takeout to switch boats, a man came purposefully toward me. (I later found out he was mayor of a nearby town.) He informed me the dam had failed. He tasked me with collecting anyone who I knew was in the area and getting out fast.

It was a misunderstanding: The dam held, but was not engineered to withstand such high volume. I returned two days later. The police at the parking lot told me there were more than 50 units protecting access to the river below the dam. I packed sandbags with locals for a couple hours then drove back to the Ottawa River where I paddled another new wave. Leading up to this day many people were forced to leave their homes due to the river. I love rivers and hope to live close by the sound of rushing water. I don’t wish rivers to affect anyone negatively. But they will. —ML

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • kakaying
Mountain Life Media

Previous Article
When Trouble Strikes Kye Petersen Smashed Face
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Oh SH*T! When Trouble Strikes: Impromptu Backcountry First Aid Tips

  • May 12, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
Untamed Youth British Columbia Ice Fishing
  • The Great Outdoors

Untamed Youth: British Columbia Schools Officially Recognize the Importance of Play

  • May 15, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
Adam-Shoalts-Live-It-Up-podcast-Mountain-Life
View Post
  • Paddling
  • Trips & Expeditions

ML’s Live It Up Podcast: Explorer Adam Shoalts

  • Mountain Life Media
  • November 6, 2023
Eric-Frigon-glacier-Losing-Blue
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Paddling
  • Rockies

Friday Flick: Losing Blue

  • Mountain Life Media
  • November 3, 2023
Chasing-Rivers-A-Whitewater-Life-Tamar-Glouberman
View Post
  • Paddling

Chasing Rivers: A Whitewater Life

  • Mountain Life Media
  • September 19, 2023
canoe-Mathieu-Dupuis
View Post
  • Paddling

Le Strava de la déconnexion

  • Editor
  • September 8, 2023
Magpie-River-Quebec
View Post
  • Paddling

À vos pagaies et boucliers pour la rivière Magpie

  • Editor
  • August 26, 2023
Benny-Marr-kayak
View Post
  • Paddling

A Conversation with Pro Kayaker Benny Marr

  • Mountain Life Media
  • August 18, 2023
Gerd-Serrasolses-kayak
View Post
  • Paddling

Serrasolses Brothers: Latest Kayak Edits

  • Mountain Life Media
  • August 11, 2023
canoe-Northwest-Territories-Family-Routes
View Post
  • Paddling
  • Videos

Family Routes: Long-Haul Canoe Trip with Kids

  • Mountain Life Media
  • August 4, 2023

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Featured Posts
  • Pemberton-Shaped-by-Wild-film 1
    ‘Shaped By Wild’ Film General Release + Q&A
    • November 30, 2023
  • Pemberton-Mountain-Life-Mount-Currie 2
    Stories on the Mountain
    • November 28, 2023
  • Devils-Glen-climbing 3
    Gallery: ML Photographers’ Best of Ontario
    • November 27, 2023
  • MEC-Bromont-Jacket-down-recycled-Mountain-Life 4
    Manteau en duvet recyclé Bromont de MEC : au chaud pour braver les pistes les plus givrées
    • November 22, 2023
  • wff-2023-diving-in-a-drop-stills-0-2021474 5
    Mountain Culture and Outdoor Adventure Spotlighted at Whistler Film Festival ’23
    • November 24, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • Hilaree-Nelson-nickkalisz_NIC4424
    W2W Hilaree Nelson Scholarship Helps Advance Women in Snowsports
    • November 23, 2023
  • Gift-Shed-Mountain-Life
    The ML Gift Shed ’23
    • November 21, 2023
  • Ancient-spearpoint-Indigenous-Ontario
    The Telltale Plink!
    • November 20, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
avatar
mountainlifemedia
Mountain Life
5K Following
26K Followers
13 0
15 0
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

13 0
15 0
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.