Lake surfing

However, when this occurs over a lake the waves generated by previous onshore wind subside relatively quickly.

Though not significant enough to necessitate surfboard design changes, the reduced buoyancy of fresh water results in increased drag when paddling.

Lake surfers enjoy water that is fresh ("sweet" as opposed to salty) and do not have to worry about the dangers from marine life (e.g. sharks, jellyfish, etc.)

[1] Strong storms, particularly in the winter and fall (at which time they may be referred to as a November Witch), can produce large waves on the Great Lakes in North America.

Great Lakes surfing has grown in popularity over the past decade thanks to the advances in wetsuit and or drysuits technology and the proliferation of information on the internet.