On the other hand, sometimes they can be too close for comfort, said Casey. When surfers are near a calving event — perhaps 100 yards away — they run the risk of being directly struck ice if the calving ice tilts outward and falls, rather than collapsing straight down. The former can fire cannonballs of ice across the water's surface.
"That’s the kill zone," said Casey. To mitigate that danger, the surfers don some pretty tough gear — helmets, hoods, gloves and special wetsuits with extra padding.
"It’s full-on gladiator wear," said Brown.
The reward for all this is a pretty nice ride in size, quality and length.
"As far as waves go, I’ve seen perfect waves breaking for minutes at a time," said Casey.
In a sport where few rides last more than 30 seconds, that’s pretty good. So far, however, no 30-foot tsunamis have been ridden. Maybe next summer.
Related Links:
USGS: Alaska Glaciers
Cordova, Alaska travel guide
