Shannon Thomas is cofounder of Surf Dayton, a river surfing outfitter on the park waves of the Great Miami River running through Dayton, Ohio.

He’s been getting people on the river building a community of both athletes and stewards. During covid, people have been looking to stay sane by learning to go with the river flow, embracing good vibes, and bridging divides.

Over the last couple of months since recording my last podcast I have escaped the headlines by heading into the backcountry. So, in late September I was thrilled to see a BBC article highlighting Surf Dayton. It encouraged me to get in touch with Shannon with whom I have not surfed with in a few years.

Here is the link to that BBC article. The pandemic is fuelling a surfing boom - in Ohio corn country https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54244009