The allure and peril of riding an Alaskan wave for 10km
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Pete Beachy walking along the shore of the Turnagain Arm near Bird Point, 48km south-east of Anchorage, Alaska on June 18, 2026. The tidal bore that rockets up the Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage can carry a surfer for an hour; it can also kill.
PHOTO: KERRY TASKER/NYTIMES
Anna Griffin
- The Turnagain Arm tidal bore in Alaska offers a unique surfing experience, attracting adventurous surfers despite cold and challenging conditions.
- The bore tide is dangerous due to cold water, strong currents, and quicksand-like glacial silt, raising concerns about safety and rescue difficulties.
- Local surfers and authorities worry about increasing visitors and potential restrictions.
AI generated
ALASKA, United States – On a cold, windy, wet summer evening in July, Pete Beachy giggled as he peered into his binoculars and prepared to do something even he admitted can seem very, very stupid. “There she is,” he muttered. “That’s a wave.”
Parked along the Seward Highway in Alaska, Beachy had spotted the first hint of foam curving around Bird Point, 48km south-east of Anchorage, and heading towards an inlet known as Turnagain Arm. The “wave” was a tidal bore, a twice-daily surge of water formed when the incoming high tide from the Pacific Ocean is forced into the narrow arm of Cook Inlet against the outgoing current.
