Hawaii-sur-Rhone - Big wave surfin' in the heart of Lyon
Article by Alan Leonard

France is more commonly known in the paddling world for Alpine river running, but in the city of Lyon lies one of the greatest play waves on the planet – Hawaii Sur Rhone...

The wave offers a large green face with a powerful foam pile… get on top, sink your carving edge, hold on tight and prepare for take off! It’s a super fast wave that will spring you into the air without a moments warning.
I spent 5 days in Lyon in February paddling 2 sessions a day in some very cold weather! Some days it was a struggle getting my French buddy out of bed it was that cold!


When to Go:
The Rhone is dam controlled and water is released when there is most demand for electricity. I found that levels did rise from morning to evening and at the weekend the river is considerably lower. So for a worthwhile trip, avoid the weekend at all costs!

It works best from November through to early summer but it is extremely tricky to plan a trip in advance because future water levels are very difficult to predict. The best thing to do is keep an eye on the gauge, and when the wave is running drop everything and go!

Ideally you will want the Rhone running above 500 cumecs to get the most from a trip. The levels are usually posted on Hawaii-Sur-Rhone.com but if this isn’t working check out this site and use the following instructions to get the levels:

• click on "3617 inforhone"
• Wait until you get the blue screen ( it takes a while)
• At that time click "suite" twice, then type “3” and click envoi.
• Then choose to read it at “Perrache,” (which is a local train station)
• If you want the graph, type "perr" and click envoi – This will give you the graph for that day. If you want to see the previous day’s level click “retour”, if you want to see the next day it is "suivant."

Please note that you can not click on the screen, but only the button on the right.
On top of that you will need a Java Plugin to see the screen. If you don’t have it you can download it here...

Because the wave works more regularly in winter you should be prepared for some cold weather – even colder than Ireland! The temperature one day was -3 degrees so just remember to bring an extra thermal and an ice scraper for your windscreen!

Getting there:
I flew with Aer Lingus straight to Lyon and had no troubles with my boat. I rang in advance, told them I was bringing a “surf ski” and stated the exact dimensions (weight, height, width etc). I asked the customer service representative to put a note on my account and subsequently there was no questions asked at the airport.
Because I was only going for 5 days I didn’t bring much clothes (jocks n socks – also my best Ben Sherman to impress to French ladies!!). This meant all my paddling gear was in my hand luggage and the only thing I had to check in was my boat.


Accommodation:
There are several hotels in Lyon that are reasonably close to the wave and these are all listed here... Once college breaks up (late spring) there are usually vacancies in the student accommodation at the local university. This is a good option if you have no transport because the wave is quite close by. Check out this site, and ring up for more details about accommodation.

Getting to the wave:
This can be a complicated because the wave is inconveniently situated in the middle of a spaghetti junction! I could give you directions but in an attempt to spare you from my very sketchy memory I would advise you to check out this link...

The Wave:
The wave is somewhat like Sluice when it’s running at about 4.5 megs- you know when Sluice is that green wave?! Erm… eh well maybe Lyon is slightly bigger! Seriously though, the wave changes a lot depending on the level but whatever the gauge says you should expect a very bumpy and aerial experience.
The Rhone splits in two – The Right Fork and The Left Fork and it is on The Right Fork that most surfing is done. However, once the river rises above 900 cumecs the Left Fork starts to work marvellously.

I paddled the wave when it was between 550 cumecs and 660 cumecs and it was a super level. The wave was easily 6 ft high with an extremely bouncy green face and a foam pile to one side which catches you after you touch down!

As the levels rise to about 800 cumecs ‘The Wall’ starts to work and, although I have not paddled Lyon at this level, I’ve heard it is a frightening experience – a 10 ft tall green wall that takes liberty in launching you skywards! If that’s not intimidating enough there is a gigantic hole awaiting you when you inevitably wash off! For wave descriptions on other levels check out this link...

As with every aspect of kayaking, safety is a primary issue and although it is an incredible experience to surf the wave, beware of the dangers that Hawaii present. There are green waves, large foam piles and nasty holes – I’m sure you can figure out which to avoid! Just ensure you have a solid roll and are prepared to wipe out at high speeds! And remember folks, safety’s not just a word - It’s a way of life!


Hawaii Sur Rhone River Festival…
This will be my first year at the festival and going by previous years I really can’t wait! From big air ramps to live bands this festival has it all and is well worth a visit.

In 2005 it is on 17/18 and 19 of June. I’ll see ya’ll there!


So my final thoughts on Hawaii Sur Rhone…
I would recommend a trip to Lyon for anyone looking to surf big waves, improve their aerial manoeuvres or even if you’re just looking for some fun! Of all the waves I’ve paddled this is my favourite - Better than Garberator, better than Lachine and even better (in my opinion!) than our very own Curragower! But as Mark Twain once said “I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to facts.” So guys get out there, experience this wave for yourself and try and prove me wrong!

On closing I’d just like to thank Simon Duchene for sorting me out in Lyon and for helping me with some of the information for this guide. Cheers Simon! Also, big up to Moe to for sending me some of the pictures.

Links:
• http://hawaii-sur-rhone.com/ - To find out anything and everything about the wave – also contains a useful message board
• http://www.cnr.tm.fr/fr/index.htm - Water levels
• http://www.liquidaddict.com/ - Cool clothes with some great videos and pictures from Hawaii Sur Rhone.

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