Sleeping Bear Surf

Sleeping Bear Surf Michigan's full service surf shop, family owned & operated since 2004. We provide high-quality retail, rentals, lessons, camps, and retreats.

Find everything you need for free-ride play on the water here. Regardless of the weather, we strive to connect you to the mighty big lake in our backyard. Home to the Great Lakes premier surf camp, women empowerment retreats, and more. We have been happily helping groms, families and people of all ages live the freshwater life since 2004!

The Great Lakes are powerful* — with Lake Michigan being the deadliest lake in the US. Every year, lives are lost that c...
05/30/2026

The Great Lakes are powerful* — with Lake Michigan being the deadliest lake in the US. Every year, lives are lost that could be prevented with the right awareness and preparedness.

Join us Friday, June 12th for a hands-on Surf Rescue Training with our friends at the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.

The goal is simple: To build a more equipped, capable, and knowledgeable water community to keep ourselves, and those around us safe.

We’ll be suiting up & getting in to practice nearshore + open water rescue, along with post-rescue response and resuscitation. Serious stuff.

Then we shift gears. ➡️

A chance to warm up, connect, and celebrate a shared commitment of lookin’ out for one another! Fires and sauna rippin’ courtesy of our friend Vlad (), some zaaa, and beerz from our buddies at .

Free to attend. Donations to GLSRP highly encouraged!

6:30pm • Frankfort Pier (north side)

RSVP in bio

First community paddle of the season say wahhht!?!Join us 🌼THIS SUNDAY🌼for a super-sweet spring paddle with the and of...
05/14/2026

First community paddle of the season say wahhht!?!

Join us 🌼THIS SUNDAY🌼for a super-sweet spring paddle with the and of !

We’re settin off at 2pm from Cedar and will follow the flow of the Cedar River out into Lake Leelanau to Solon Beach Park by 5pm for snax and socializin!!

More DEETS & RSVP at the Link!

See you there weee!!!

Can’t-miss-this-event poster by !! 🙌

05/09/2026

Tomorrow!!! Learn about water safety and Buy / sell a surfboard! If you do all three you win a super awesome price curated by Mike! See you tomorrow!

Surf Rescue clinic 11-1pm
Surf swap 1-5pm

May 9th 11-5pm ⚡️ Spring Social at the Shop! Fun happenins and more with See you thereee!
05/02/2026

May 9th 11-5pm ⚡️ Spring Social at the Shop!

Fun happenins and more with

See you thereee!

04/26/2026

Pure chaos over here — so here’s a wildly chaotic video to tell you that our doors officially* reopen Saturday, May 9th with a lil Spring Social at the Shiz-op!

🚨Surf Rescue Training 10:30am @ Empire Beach with

➡️ Surf Swap @ SBS 1-3pm 🌊 ❕

Bring your boards & gear to sell or swap, skateboards to shred at the shop, and suits to keep you cozy durin the clinic! Yew! See ya ther!

More deets (in a less overwhelming) fashion soon!

…felt cute, might delete later… 💁🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

Even if it doesn’t look like it on the surface — you are making waves. 🌊Waves like this take time to build.This morning,...
04/22/2026

Even if it doesn’t look like it on the surface — you are making waves. 🌊

Waves like this take time to build.

This morning, we watched steady, persistent energy finally shift the sands!!

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 0-9 in Enbridge Energy v. Nessel. The Line 5 case stays in Michigan state court!
Here — where it belongs. In the hands of people connected to these waters.

This doesn’t happen by accident..
It happens from years of steady pressure. All those emails sent, calls made, donations given… time in the streets and at the ballot box…
That’s wind on water.

The fight against Line 5 is far from over, but now it’s up to you, Michiganders. Stay tuned!

May we celebrate, and continue to show up, speak out, and share our unique, radiant, energy to create widespread waves of change. ✊

📷

The lake has provided at the pier this spring, so in honor of Earth Day we’re gettin’ our hands dirty and pickin’ up wit...
04/14/2026

The lake has provided at the pier this spring, so in honor of Earth Day we’re gettin’ our hands dirty and pickin’ up with a post-work cleanup!

Meet at the end of Sac St just up from the Pier in Frankfort! Cleanup from 5-7pm!

Then join us at for a post-pickup pint! All participants get a beer on us! Cheers to this precious planet, folks!

📸 images of pickups passed by !

We usually go to the water for solace and clarity — but even the lake has been seized by ice.There is no business as usu...
01/28/2026

We usually go to the water for solace and clarity — but even the lake has been seized by ice.

There is no business as usual while our neighbors are being displaced, and denied their humanity.

All people deserve safety, freedom, and the right to pursue a life with dignity. We reject the idea that humans belong within invisible borders. Migration is not a crime. It is part of the rhythm of life — a survival practice shared by plants, animals, and humans alike. It is as natural as the movement of water.

We’re tired of existing within systems that ask us to look away. We refuse.

Sleeping Bear Surf is committed to standing by our values — protecting the water and the land, and defending the universal right to access and thrive amidst both. We vow to continue centering community, spreading awareness, and creating space for people to gather, connect, and help build a more just and joyful world — across the lake and the sea.

If you’re also feeling the fear, anxiety, or uncertainty of this moment, we invite you to join us and act in whatever way you feel moved. In our bio, you’ll find a link with the ACLU to contact your senators and urge them to vote against a bill that would increase DHS and ICE funding.

Together, we make waves.

📷

Hey folks! The shop is CLOSED today!We are crossing the state to Alpena for the Thunder Bay International Film Festival....
01/24/2026

Hey folks! The shop is CLOSED today!

We are crossing the state to Alpena for the Thunder Bay International Film Festival. Catch Hometown Hype playing today at 1pm & In Waves tomorrow at 1pm! See you there!

Stay warmer, play longer! 👊Quality gear makes all the difference this time of year. Proper armor to keep the cold water ...
12/17/2025

Stay warmer, play longer! 👊

Quality gear makes all the difference this time of year. Proper armor to keep the cold water at bay, and a solid routine before and after a cold water play session is critical & game changing.

Some favorite cold water necessities to enhance the experience for you, or the surfer in your life: water parka, and wetsuit hanger. 🔥

Get suited at SleepingBearSurf.com or come pop in the shop - we’ll help you get kitted.

📸 / .content

Address

10228 W Front Street
Empire, MI
49630

Opening Hours

Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+12313269283

Website

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