Lake Superior
Video: Duluth Sea Smoke
Video by Twin Cities-based Sky Candy Studios.
Well Below Zero
This video by Erik Wilkie documents a Jan. 20 surfing expedition on Lake Superior when the temperature was -15 Fahrenheit.
Lake Superior Sunrise Time Lapse
Video by Danny Baker.
Weird Waves Season 1: Great Lakes
Shoe company Vans brings its branded content team to Duluth, and the locals show them some of the winter surf “hot” spots. (more…)
Video: Rad Surfing on Stoney Point
Once again Brent Eliason of Ease Drones has captured some exceptional aerial video of Lake Superior surfers at Stoney Point. The footage is from Dec. 28.
“All the surfers in this video were killing it!!!” Eliason wrote in the YouTube description. “My favorite shots are between 2:20 and 2:40. At 2:20 you will see UMD’s Randy Carlson just dominating on the SUP.”
Oct. 10, 2018: Record-setting Surf
Flashback to the big storm on Oct. 10: Brent Eliason of Ease Drones shot this aerial video as surfers took advantage of the 50 m.p.h. wind gusts at Stoney Point on Lake Superior.
Surfin’ Superior 2008
Ten years ago — Dec. 10, 2008 — City Pages profiled Duluth surfer Greg Isaacson.
In 1975, he found himself paddling out onto Lake Superior with a few local fishermen looking at him like he was insane. Isaacson went out in the middle of a storm. He wore the top half of a diving suit, which gave his arms all the flexibility and natural movement of the Michelin Man. This jerry-rigged outfit, combined with the glacial temperatures of the water, allowed him just 20 minutes of water time.
But the first wave he caught was magic.
1400 Miles, in Kilometers
Two friends, who are also brothers-in-law, ride motorcycles around Lake Superior. Veda Dullaghan narrates.
Video: Bear swimming near Madeline Island
Video by Tina Green.
Duluth planning for passenger cruise ship stops
The Duluth City Council and Duluth Economic Development Authority have approved funding to help establish a temporary customs facility to allow Great Lakes cruise ship passengers to disembark in Duluth.
As Minnesota Public Radio reports, “Duluth is not expecting massive oceangoing cruise ships the size of small cities to drop anchor in its harbor,” but instead is looking for smaller adventure cruises “that can accommodate up to about 200 passengers, plus another 100-plus crewmembers.”
MPR: Duluth as a cruise stop? With City Council vote, it’s one step closer
ERROR: The request could not be satisfied mprnews.orgExploring Cave of the Waves at Crystal Bay
YouTube user “MNduro USA” took his scuba gear to Crystal Bay, about 50 miles northeast of Duluth, to explore the Cave of the Waves and check out some old dock cribs.
Lake Superior Wants to Kill You
Pardon the alarmist headline. Lake Superior doesn’t really want to kill you, but you should know all bodies of water are oblivious to your tiny existence and will absolutely steal you away any time you make the slightest error in judgement. So I’m not apprehensive about issuing stern warnings as if I’m your mom.
I know how seductive that big lake can be. And I know how much fun it is to dive off various bridges, rocks, swinging ropes or whatever it is you can propel yourself from into whichever refreshing river or stream awaits. I’ve done it, and I’ve lived through it. I’ve also seen it go wrong over and over and over again.
I’ll be the first to say when it goes right it’s a thing of beauty. You can’t let danger keep you off the water; we all know water absolutely gives so much more life than it takes. Just sitting on the shore looking at it, whether it’s perfectly calm or violently raging, is the easiest way to put yourself into your place on this planet. But it’s natural to want more than that. You have to at least put your toes in. And that sets you on the path to all manner of thrill seeking. Your ability to pick which point along the way to show some self control will determine whether you have the maximum good time or utterly wreck yourself. (more…)
Three Videos: Raging Spring, Exploding Waves, Oscillating Ice
Video #1: “A Raging Spring in Duluth, MN” by Abby Smith (more…)
Video Archive: Surfers Before the Blizzard, 2008
High-definition videos of people surfing Lake Superior have become a fairly regular thing on Perfect Duluth Day in recent years. The short and fuzzy one above lacks the quality we’re used to these days, but is featured today because it’s ten years old and might be the first Lake Superior surf video published on PDD — or maybe anywhere else. (Prove that assertion wrong and find an older one.)
Barrett Chase posted this clip on April 10, 2008. He noted winds were at 40 m.p.h.
“Check out this short video snippet of some crazies surfing on Lake Insanity near Lester River today just before the onset of the blizzard,” he wrote.
An Icy Sunset on Lake Superior
Video by Boston-based marketing firm Swiftkurrent.
Fat-tire Bike Iceberg Jumping
Video by Richard Hoeg of 365 Days of Birds.
Lake Superior Sea Smoke Ice Fishing
Video by Tim Mlodozyniec.
Lake Superior Ice Stacking 2018
It’s almost an annual tradition. When the conditions are just right, small waves push sheets of Lake Superior surface ice to the shore, causing them to break into plates that stack and crackle in a way that’s both visually and aurally fascinating. Dawn LaPointe and Gary Fiedler of Radiant Spirit Gallery recently captured the phenomena in this video. (more…)
Isle Royale Shipwreck Dive
In June 2017 Duluthian Edward Simon dove to explore shipwrecks off of Isle Royale, and he recently posted his edited adventures. Shot by Michael Granke, edited by Edward Simon.
You may know Edward from such films as “Feeding the fish with Santa.”
Lake Superior Aquaman’s Duluth
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Explore this interactive map for the bounty of our Northlandic Atlantis. Containing hundreds of photos, video and links, this is a virtual tour of the area with a focus on water, wildlife, history, and recreation.
Low Versus the Volcano
It started as a Twitter feud between Mt. St. Helens and Lake Superior, then Duluth band Low got involved. Soon Glacier Peak, Mt. Baker, Cahaba River and the Grand Canyon were in on the action. (more…)
PDD Video Lab: Ghost Ship Emerges
Dawn LaPointe and Gary Fiedler of Radiant Spirit Gallery captured the Joseph L. Block emerging through the sea smoke like a ghost. The morning temperature was -20°F with a -40°F windchill. The video was processed at an 8x speed.
As is usually the case with the PDD Video Lab, we’ve supplied a soundtrack to the silent video. Press play on the audio file below, then press play on the video file and enjoy the marriage. The track is “Cold” by Duluth band Woodblind.
Sea Smoke Sunrise over Lake Superior
Dawn LaPointe and Gary Fiedler of Radiant Spirit Gallery captured the Dec. 26 Duluth “sea smoke” sunrise in this video.