The Muddy Brothers are the community of surfers who ride the tidal wave or Bore up the River Severn.
There is a very interesting mix knowledgable regulars including local farmers and tradesmen who some of which exclusively surf the bore. rubbing shoulders with surf professionals who have travelled from around the world to experience this natural phenomenon.
“The River Severn winds its way up through Gloucestershire from the Bristol Channel for some 220 miles, funnelling into a series of meandering bends that pass through picturesque country villages and farmland.
The tidal range of the Severn Estuary is one of the largest in the world, with a difference of almost 50 feet during the biggest tides of the year, and it is this tidal surge from the mass of water rushing upstream before high tide that creates the natural phenomenon of the Severn Bore” Wavelegnth website
For the uninitiated it can be difficult and dangerous as the wave travels faster than most ocean waves and can reach speeds of 20 Kph. There are various hazards such as old boat wrecks and huge tree trunks picked up by the wave to avoid. Surfers who have failed to catch it or fallen can paddle and sprint back to their cars in order to overtake the wave and get an other chance further upstream.
Local Legend of the Bore and railway engineer Steve King set a Guinness world record for longest wave at 9.25 Miles which took 1 hour 17 minutes!I
It was first surfed in 1955 by Col. J. Chruchill.
Ben Rogers of Leaf Surfboards is a very knowledgable regular of the Bore and shapes Bore surfboards
The specialised Surfboards are very long and more buoyant than a conventional ocean surfboard to enable them to reach a fast paddle speed to catch the wave. They also have a low rocker so are less curved to be able to ride through the smaller sections as the river widens before rising in height in the more narrow sections.
