Have You Seen This? Surfer catches waves in Alaskan bore tide

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TURNAGAIN ARM, Alaska — Everyone knows Maui, Hawaii and Malibu as some of the most popular surfing destinations in the world, but did you know it's possible to surf in Alaska?

I didn't either, until I saw this video, taken from the Seward Highway, of someone surfing a bore tide in the Turnagain Arm just south of Anchorage earlier this month.

"Pulled over to see what was moving in the water and it was a guy surfing," the video caption states.

The snow-capped mountains offer a great backdrop, but — even in June — Alaska's gulf waters are likely too cold for all but the hardiest and most dedicated surfers.

On the plus side, it doesn't look like you would need to fight off other beachgoers to secure a spot for your umbrella on the sand.

According to Alaska.org, a bore tide is a "rush of seawater that returns to a shallow and narrowing inlet from a broad bay," caused by extreme low tides created by the full or new moon.

There are around 60 such tides around the world, but the bore tide in the Turnagain Arm is one of the biggest in the world, and the only one that occurs in the far north, bordered by mountains.

"It's also amazingly accessible: you can see it from the Seward Highway along its entire 40- to 50-mile length," says Alaska.org.

Bore tides can be seen every day, although the strongest tides occur during the five-day window around the new and full moons, and the largest bores can be seen during the spring and fall equinoxes in March and September.

Humans aren't the only ones to take advantage of the tides. Harbor seals often ride the bore tide and beluga whales sometimes follow the tide to feed on the fish that are swept in by it.