In the 1970s, Charles Koehler was often one of just two or three surfers in sight as he rode the waves on the shores of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. “I was so naive. I thought, ‘Gosh, the way this is going, I can see where by the time I’m 35, 40 years old [and] I can’t surf anymore, I’m gonna come down here and it’s gonna be 3-foot [waves] and perfect, and there’s gonna be nobody out, nobody to watch.’ Well, that didn’t happen,” Koehler said in the 2025 short film Dancing With Gravity.
Back then, Koehler belonged to a small but enthusiastic cohort who recognized Sheboygan as a hidden gem for surfers. Today, it’s known as the “Malibu of the Midwest” — a hot spot that draws surfers from across the country and beyond each year.
“Malibu was instrumental in shaping the surf scene and culture in Southern California and the world as a whole. Sheboygan was instrumental in shaping surfing on the Great Lakes,” said Andrew Jakus, owner of Sheboygan’s EOS Surf & Rev Board Shop, in an email to Nice News.
Shelly Harms, vice president of marketing and public relations for the nonprofit Visit Sheboygan, offered another reason for the comparison, noting that the city’s laid-back spirit, abundance of outdoor recreation, and location on Lake Michigan give it a coastal feel reminiscent of California.
She also said that twin brothers Lee and Larry Williams helped take Sheboygan’s surf scene to the next level and put the city on the map. “They were surfers who traveled all over and won awards and always talked about their hometown,” she said, adding that the character Chicken Joe in the movie Surf’s Up is based on the siblings.
Harms explained that surfing began to gain popularity in Sheboygan in the 1960s, when locals formed the Lake Shore Surf Club. The sport continued to grow over the years with the Dairyland Surf Classic, founded by the Williams brothers in 1988. “This event brought surfers from all over the world and really brought the focus to Sheboygan as a surf destination,” she said.
Step Into Liquid, a 2003 documentary highlighting surf communities around the world, featured Sheboygan and solidified its spot on many surfers’ bucket lists, according to Jakus. Although the Dairyland Surf Classic hosted its final competition in 2012 and no comparable surf contest has replaced it, EOS Surf & Rev Board Shop occasionally hosts events, and the local scene continues to thrive.
Sheboygan’s position on Lake Michigan is the biggest factor making it a prime surf spot, Jakus said. “With us being central, we can receive waves from both north and south swells. Pair this with our excellent beaches and access, and you have a surfer’s paradise.” Although freshwater waves are generally less powerful than those in the ocean, Sheboygan regularly produces strong, surfable conditions.
Saltwater surfing also offers more buoyancy, and ocean waves are often easier to catch. Still, many lake surfers welcome the challenge. “In the lakes, everything is like the ocean, but the wave period is shorter, faster, quicker, colder, more erratic, and you’ve gotta be more on your toes if you want to get a good ride,” local surfer Teek Phippen explained in Dancing With Gravity.
Although surfing is possible in Sheboygan year-round (even in the winter), the scene tends to slow in summer, with peak season occurring in the fall, Jakus told Nice News. “Surfing on the Great Lakes is completely reliant on wind, and in the summer months, you have far fewer weather systems moving around.”
The city’s best surf spots depend on the swell direction, but Deland Park, consisting of four different surf spots on the city’s north side, seems to be a consistent favorite. “The Elbow is iconic in Sheboygan surf because you can jump right off the pier and into the lineup,” Jakus said, adding that the Jetties are also a safe bet with easy access. “The whole North Beach/Deland Park area is set up as a perfect little amphitheater to receive swell with grace.”
Up the road from North Beach, North Point is another beloved destination among locals and visitors, including professional surfer Ben Gravy and Sheboyganite Aaron Renzelmann.
“I love to surf North Point just because of the energy, and when you’re out there, it’s such a rush. It’s so different than most of the other breaks around here,” Renzelmann said in Dancing With Gravity.
The concept of Sheboygan as a surf destination was likely unfathomable to William Farnsworth, who first visited in 1814 and returned four years later to establish a fur trading post. Located at the mouth of the Sheboygan River on the western shore of Lake Michigan, the area had long been home to Native American tribes, including the Menominee, Ho-Chunk, Sauk, Fox, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi.
European settlers, many of them German, Dutch, or Irish immigrants drawn by farmland and other opportunities, began arriving in greater numbers in the 1840s. By the mid-19th century, the young city was home to a booming maritime industry, thanks to its abundant forests and strategic location for trade and commerce.
Sheboygan today is an outdoor lover’s paradise, with ample opportunity for water sports like kayaking, boating, and sailing, as well as hiking, biking, and golfing. Harms also shared the city’s other claim to fame: “We are the Bratwurst Capital of the World, and brat frys are plentiful in the area.”
Local surfer Matt DeMaster perhaps sums up the waterfront destination’s appeal best: “It’s the perfect mix that everybody wants, which is [a] blue-collar, hardworking community that cares about each other, yet we have this kind of coastal vibe to us,” he said in Dancing With Gravity. “I don’t think there’s one thing that’s caused it, but it’s just a cool little spot.”
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