TURNER, Maine — Maine friends braved cold and fast water to boogie board on the Androscoggin River on Saturday.
Jim Lowell from Sabbatus and Stuart Isaacson from Wayne are both experienced with white water. The two along with others geared up in 7mm wetsuits, booties, hats, gloves, helmets and lifejackets to get the chance to ride a monster wave on the Androscoggin in Turner near Twin Bridges off of Route 219 on April 20.
"It is fun and I am surprised no one else was out there," Jim Lowell told NEWS CENTER Maine.
"I think if this was anywhere where there was an active outdoor community like California or Colorado there would be a line-up," says Lowell.
Lowell has ten years of white water rafting experience and Stuart is an avid surfer. Lowell says both knew what the conditions meant and how to be safe. They set up a safety downstream.
Lowell says white water kayakers often surf the spot but a person needs to know what you are doing to be in the high water.
Lowell does not recommend anyone without white water experience brave the fast pace spring runoff. He says within ten minutes being in the fast water drained his energy.
Ten years ago, Lowell was boogie boarding on the Androscoggin River when Search and Rescue was called because someone thought he had fallen in.