Bavarian beach boys

Ask locals in the German city of Munich and they'll tell you that they have great beer. They might also mention that, with a national high of sunny days, the state of Bavaria is the California of Germany.

While Munich doesn't have a Pacific Ocean or a Malibu Beach, that's not stopping intrepid locals surfing. Albeit on the local river The Eisbach. Deutsche Welle’s Guy Degen reports.

The first evidence of surfing I spot is a discarded wrapper from a stick of Australian surfing wax. Ahead of me, a couple of black wet-suited surfers clutching their boards jog across the road. They dart past onlookers leaning over a bridge and duck through bushes to the banks of the Eisbach.

Following them confirmed all the stories I'd heard about the possibility of surfing in Munich. The power and sheer volume of water from the Eisbach as it emerges from an underground tunnel produces a small wave about 12 metres wide with a clean face - just like the real thing in the ocean. Wading up in the frigid knee high water to talk to some of the surfers, I meet Rolf whose been surfing the Eisbach for the past four years:

"When you compare it to the ocean, everything happens much faster because you have always to do radical turns, turns like a 180 degrees within a few seconds...ahh, the water comes out of the tunnel at 5 metres per second which is like 36 kilometres per hour so it's OK. It's not too slow."

Only one person can surf at a time and as it's not possible to paddle up-river to the crest of the wave, Rolf says locals have worked out a number of ways to catch this wave. Many sit on the riverbank, set their feet correctly on the surfboard and then stand up and slide down the face of the wave. Others simply throw the board ahead into the water and jump on. Under the gaze of about 20 onlookers I watched Rolf take off:

“I just try to stay as long as I'm able to OK…”

Rolf wipes out after only three or four seconds on the wave. But it’s not serious and within a minute he's back waiting for his turn. But surfing here is not without its hazards as the river bed in front of the wave is only just below the surface:

“I had some fine cuts here... and here on the back I hit the rocks behind the wave. It happens from time to time.”

And while Rolf was more than happy to speak with me, other surfers weren't very keen. Some said the Eisbach wave was too well known – perhaps a touch of protective “localism”? But among the crowd watching is Adam Brown, an Australian surfing instructor from the east coast surf mecca of Byron Bay. While travelling in Germany Adam thought he'd check out this wave for himself:

”It looks pretty fun this guy's giving it a belt... it's honestly better than I thought. I'm surprised honestly. There's a hole in front of the wave that actually gives a real feeling of a much faster one…It's got a lot of potential for a small wave it really sucks quickly so that would give it the speed of a wave that is an extra half a foot higher. I haven't had a crack at it yet but honestly it doesn't look hard at all. You can come from either side. You can start with your feet on the board before you even push off the wall...Anyone could have a go at it. "

Leaving Adam to work out how he might rustle up a board, I notice small signs pinned on trees advertising surfboards for sale - much the same as you'd see near any surfing beach break. However, beside these are large signs clearly stating that it's forbidden to surf this wave.

So what do officials think of surfers blatantly breaking the law? Rainer Herzog is the Director of the Garden Department of the Bavarian Administration of State Palaces, Gardens and Lakes. He says while surfing maybe attractive for tourists it's definitely forbidden under the law in the grounds of the Englischer Garten:

“So far we’ve refrained from fines, but if there is a serious accident then it’s going to become a problem, it’s not allowed. The City of Munich has laws for its parks but in the Englischer Garten these do not apply because it’s property of the State of Bavaria. If it’s only an administrative offence like surfing on the Eisbach then there are no laws regulating that and the police don’t do anything.”

On any given day at least a dozen surfers are testing their skills on the Eisbach wave in the Englischer Garten. And, if you ask the right local they may let you in on some other good surf spots nearby.

Such is the popularity of river surfing in Bavaria that special river surfboards are being produced by a shaper in Munich and sold in local surf shops. Munich's city river wave on the Eisbach may not be up there with Pipeline in Hawaii or Bells Beach in Australia, but for many a land-locked surfer in Germany it's the next best thing.

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