Hello world!- This is Bungee Surfing

You are probably thinking to yourself – “There’s no surfing in Idaho”. Well, the truth is that not only is there surfing in Idaho, but you can even take surfing lessons in Idaho. And no, Oregon did not fall into the ocean. Bungee Surfers ride a small surfboard on rivers, shooting upstream at 30+ mph. No boat or motor involved. One end of a specialized bungee system is anchored to a rock or other sturdy structure in the river. The other end of the bungee has a small metal loop at the end of a small handle. This metal loop hooks onto a small metal hook that is on the underside of the riverboard. Once the bungee has been set up in fast moving water, the surfer jumps in and hooks the board to the bungee. You then force the tail of the board down into the river current by putting all of your weight on the tail of the board. Once you have the proper position on the board, only your shoulders and head are above the river level and the water rushes around you so fast that you are in a hole in the river. In fact, that is what bungee surfers call this position, when you have all your weight on the tail and the board is almost straight up and down in the river, you are “Back in the Hole”.   At this point the river current is pushing the bungee surfer downstream quickly while stretching the 20 foot long bungee to almost 200 feet in length. Once the bungee is fully stretched the surfer changes position on the board and ends up standing in the classic sideways surfer stance on the board. Beginners actually ride upstream on their stomachs. Learning to stand and ride while bungee surfing is actually harder than learning to stand and ride while ocean surfing.  Once a good rider is up on the board and has assumed the classic surfer stance, the bungee begins to contract fast and hurls the surfer upstream untill the bungee has no more power left. When the bungee has no more pull left, it simply falls away from the board and the surfer continues upstream. Good riders can do all kinds of skateboard style tricks while riding upstream. Bungee surfing basically combines the feel of surfing with the tricks of skateboarding. Local rafting companies around Idaho are now starting to offer bungee surfing lessons. The average bungee surfing ride is longer, faster and more fun than the average ocean surfing ride. Also bungee surfing is harder to learn than ocean surfing – So take a lesson today! I can’t wait untill “surf instructor” is one of the most sought after jobs by high school kids in Idaho.