Surfing The Great Lakes with Robin Pacquing

Wild Ideas Worth Living

REI Co-op

Rei, Writing, Trailrunning, Mountaineering, Author, Sailing, Girlboss, Sports, Environmentalism, Lifestyle, Health, Entrepreneurship, Snowboarding, Paddle, Activelifestyle, Outdoorsports, Rockclimbing, Health & Fitness, Running, Surfing, Inspiration, Athlete, Skiing, Nutrition, Vegan, Alternativelifestyle, Watersports, Podcast, Camping, Climbing, Yoga, Travel, Society & Culture, Snowsports, Places & Travel, Cycling, Backpacking, Fitness, Adventure, Wilderness, Endurancesports, Wildideas, Outdoors, Sup, Womensadventure

4.7 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Robin Pacquing is a seasoned surfer based near Toronto, Canada, who has spent nearly two decades mastering the waves of the Great Lakes. Braving frigid temperatures and unpredictable swells, she’s become an expert in navigating one of the most unconventional surf scenes in the world. Robin is also the founder of Lake Surfistas, a grassroots organization that connects and supports women of all abilities who surf, SUP, and SUP surf on the Great Lakes.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	There's something really cool about four-season surf.
0:07.1	You know, surfing when the air is crisp and the leaves are turning color.
0:14.1	You know, there's a special feeling when it's snowing.
0:16.4	It's really, really cool.
0:18.6	And I have not encountered that anywhere in any of the ocean spots that I've
0:22.3	been to.
0:27.3	I never thought lake surfing was something you could do year-round, let alone dedicate your
0:32.3	life to. But Robin Peking, a surfer who lives outside of Toronto, Canada, has proven me wrong.
0:39.1	Robin has been surfing the Great Lakes for almost 20 years now, in all kinds of weather.
0:44.7	Surfing on the lakes is pretty different from ocean surfing, and it takes a whole different level of grit.
0:50.5	For one thing, swells are much shorter and less predictable.
1:12.4	For another, the water in the Great Lakes can be extremely cold, and the outside temperatures hover around freezing for a big chunk of the year. That means you have to learn what conditions make for good waves and do some good old-fashioned driving around to check the waves yourself. Still, Robin has made it her mission to become an expert at surfing these unique shorelines. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is
1:18.6	wild ideas worth living, an REI Co-op Studios production presented by Capital One and the
1:24.7	REI Co-OAT MasterCard.
1:30.8	I've heard plenty of surfers say,
1:35.5	it's a lake out there when they look out at the ocean and see few rideable waves.
1:39.6	But as Robin knows, lakes are not always flat and glassy.
1:44.7	Take Lake Ontario, for example, which is just a couple of blocks from her house.
1:49.8	It's one of the five great lakes, and its surface is more than 7,300 square miles,
1:53.5	which is only slightly smaller than the entire state of New Jersey.
1:56.8	Robin has felt connected to this lake since she was young, but she didn't start surfing there until she was in her mid-20s.
2:08.7	Robin Peking, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from REI Co-op, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of REI Co-op and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.