Hypnotic River Wave Creates Rare Scientific Phenomenon (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 5:22 PM ET

Sometimes in surfing, everything falls into place, the stars align, blessings bestowed from the surf gods, etc. And it turns out, such rare occasions happen at novelty waves, too.

Like Aliso Creek in Laguna Beach, CA, where recently, the river wave flowed so perfectly, so utterly dreamlike, that it looked like an artificial intelligence-generated video. But it was not; this was real life. And Blair Conklin – local core lord river wave shredder, three-time skimboarding world champion, and soft-top enthusiast – was there to capture it.

In video of the flawless flow, Conklin wrote: “An empty canvas. A wave so good it had me mesmerized. For those of you science nerds out there, is it safe to say this is laminar flow?”

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As it would happen, Conklin is currently recovering from dislocated shoulder and following surgery. So, he didn’t jump in, and ride the wave as he normally would. He’s on the mend, though, and will be back with skim and soft-top antics soon.

Back to the wave. What is the “Laminar Flow” that Conklin questioned about? Here’s the Encyclopedia Britannica for an explanation:

“Laminar flow, type of fluid (gas or liquid) flow in which the fluid travels smoothly or in regular paths, in contrast to turbulent flow, in which the fluid undergoes irregular fluctuations and mixing. In laminar flow, the velocity, pressure, and other flow properties at each point in the fluid remain constant. Laminar flow over a horizontal surface may be thought of as consisting of thin layers, or laminae, all parallel to each other. The fluid in contact with the horizontal surface is stationary, but all the other layers slide over each other. A deck of new cards, as a rough analogy, may be made to ‘flow’ laminarly.”

In other words, perfection. Butter, some might say; jell-o.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IasJz6KNd6U

The video above shows a demonstration of the Laminar Flow. You’ve probably seen it before, like in the sink, or from a hose. But the question is: Is this even possible in a variable environment like the ocean, or a flowing river wave? A wave pool, perhaps?

Either way, this is pretty dang close. Hypnotic.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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