A vast mountainous terrain by the sea. Metallurgy, timberwork, and fishing. Snow-covered beaches and frozen rivers. Whisps of wind whip through barren branches.  The body of water is hemmed in by the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, and Japan. There are a few communities in the area key to the region’s economy, but for the most part it’s an expanse of woods and continental uplift.

The best season for finding surf is in late fall. But you’ll find no surf shop here. You will need to bring your supplies with you from home: goggles, binoculars, tent, bear repellant, canteen, snow shoes, and cold water wax for the board. After that, it’s up to you to find your own peak. One piece of advice for the journey: never travel alone in winter, because you’ll need someone else to help build the fire.

The Arctic deserts of Russia are infused with gold and platinum, but their remote location keeps them conceiled. During the Soviet era, political prisoners and criminals mined these rich resources. Being sent there was a death sentence.

Léon Theremin was a brilliant and successful Russian scientist. In the 1930’s he worked in the United States under the mentorship of Joseph Schillinger and Albert Einstein. As the threat of another world war approached, he returned to the USSR. Upon arrival in his home country, Theremin was imprisoned and sent to work in an Arctic death camp.

Rumors of his death spread across the country. But in truth, government officials moved him to a secret research laboratory. There, Theremin invented laser devises and espionage technology. He was released in 1956 and rehabilitated. Today, this extremely remote area remains unpopulated. As an example, a few of the region’s lakes and mountain ranges remained unfound up until 1926. The photographs in this article reveal that the gems of Siberia are not only beneath the earth, but also along the coastline.

Beyond the evergreen forests of Siberia lies a land bound by sea and ice. It’s granulated coast is home to violent, dangerous predators and beleaguered by inclement weather. The region’s only settlement is unreachable by road and surrounded by large volcanoes. It is the most volcanic terrain on earth. Swells funnel into narrow bays and peak on silty sandbars.

Superbly shaped waves result when reefs focus the swell energy along the shallow contours of the sea floor (above). Many of the waves are rivermouth waves, the result of rivers spewing sediment into the sea. Rain cascades down the face of the mountains, dragging with it stony debris. As the rain coalesces into a stream, water and gravity pull larger rocks down toward the ocean.

Through continual friction, the stone is ground into a fine sediment. The velocity of the stream slows as it reaches horizontal terrain, looping and bending toward the sea. Sediment and sand is deposited along the way (above). This raw coastline is a beautiful example of the natural dynamics found in geology and oceanography. In part II of “Unfound Land” we will uncover some of the incredible waves breaking along the hidden landmass beyond Siberia.

In an obscure land, a rare swell tracks across the ocean and lights up  dormant point breaks with flawless surf. It’s an uncommon sight. The swell window is incredibly narrow, and the body of water is small. But when the right conditions coincide, it’s nothing short of “all time”. The harbor along this stretch of coast is seldom heard of, connecting a city rarely seen by Western eyes with the rest of the world. Cold winters lock the boats in ice.

Many facts about the surf are unclear. But we can see that the potential is great, although the consistency is uncertain. Notice the photograph above. With infrequent swells, chances are that most good waves go unridden.

A point break spot check in the fall season. Waves arrive from unusual storm trains in the south.

Last time we left off, the gang of explorers from Moscow were on the Trans-siberian railroad. They decided their destination should be Komsomolsk. From there they could take any other transportation to the the polar coastline of Russia. Uncertain about what kind of waves they will find there, they now settle down by a campfire until morning, talking about how much cold-water wax they have with them, and if there will be a cool surf shop at their destination.

Short attention spans and claw-fingers: no, not the description of a surfer in the arctic, but rather the symptoms of the internet-addicted generation of the new millennium. Today’s surfers-of-the-web spend more and more time searching the Google than shredding the gnar. While you think about that, think about this. Right now there is the possibility that a team of Moscovian explorers on the trans-siberian railroad are headed to the russian coastline to document polar russian waves, camera in hand, and guitar tuned to the tune “Something Something Khrushchev”.

These Russian islands are very distant and very cold. There is virtually no information to be found about them other than a few expedition photographs from naturalists and geologists, and what gems they are. The islands are caused by a sub-ducting tectonic plate creating an oceanic fault. The resulting deep ocean trench right off shore serves to magnify incoming swells. Will you join me in looking at these images?

Below is a picture taken during the summer when the ice has melted and the landscape is noticeably greener.

Somewhere in the Commander Islands of Russia: This island is desolate and rocky, it has no trees, it is prone to earthquakes, and it is sometimes called ‘Floating Island’. Occasionally scientists visit here to study the land, the ocean, and the seal rookeries.

The image above shows waves breaking on the rocky headland.