The only way you can surf in Finland is when a storm front produces big enough wind waves either on the Gulfs of the Baltic Sea or on the lakes inland. You don’t even need a massive storm: as long as the gusts blow at 10 m/s for a few hours, it’s on! You can surf!

Surf spots are spread out along the coastline and all over Finland’s archipelago, many of which are yet to be found. Pori is by far the most well-known surf spot in Finland. The Finnish surfing capital has long been popular with windsurfers, and it was here that the first Finnish surfers were seen in the late ‘90s. Still, Finland's best surf spots are found along the remote islands that surround the mainland, where massive swells coming from deep water crash onto steep cliffs. Some days you can even surf in some of Finland’s biggest lakes like Päijänne, Saimaa, or Näsijärvi in Tampere.

The surf season in Finland is best in the spring and in the fall, which also happens to be when the ocean water is close to freezing. (The Baltic Sea is the only sea in the world known to freeze over.) A good wetsuit is a must when surfing this close to the north pole. If you’re lucky enough to get a few surf days in the summer, you’re sure to see some happy surfers in Pori wearing nothing but surf trunks.

If all the right conditions are met —daylight, wind, and seawater warm enough not to freeze)—you might get around 60 days of surfable waves a year. This, of course, requires complete devotion and love for the sport, not to mention frequent discussions with the boss and permission from the girlfriend.