We journeyed down Alaska 's Seward Highway when a story appeared before us like a supernatural vision . A wave , a long wave , stretched shore to shore , beneath a panorama of snow and icy-gray November splendor in Alaska 's Cook Inlet . And there it was , in the distance . `` They 're surfing ! Surfing in Alaska ! '' I exclaimed in immature glee to CNN photographer Jeff King , who was driving . He and I are a journalistic light infantry : We get our assignments , grab a LiveU ( a video phone that replaces a satellite truck ) and off we go to far-flung destinations to report on politics . Now we entered hyper-drive to document a traveler 's surprise : We wanted to catch a wave and a surfer on camera . In Alaska . In 32 degrees . We pulled over . I took the wheel . And Jeff began filming out of the window of the SUV rental . Just who was this mystery surfer ? Would they be a good interview ? We arrived on the shore to meet the arctic surfer . The trim athlete in the black wetsuit , hood and gloves was a 22-year-old woman . Hailey Driver , as it turns out , is an Alaskan adventurer who seems as if she 's jacked up on adrenalin , Mountain Dew and caramel corn . Could we film her ? Why yes , she said . By the way , she added , do you want some video she made of herself using a GoPro camera ? And with a drone flying overhead ? Some stories come gift-wrapped . Driver told us about the thrill of the Alaskan surf and about the constant strain on the thighs during 15-minute rides on the tidal bore . `` You just wait for the bore tide to take you away , '' she said . `` You ride it for as long as you can go , which can be miles . '' What in the name of the Beach Boys is a tidal bore ? This rarity from Mother Nature occurs when the edge of the incoming tide gets pushed up by the outgoing flow of a river or narrow inlet 's current , forming a wave . There are a few dozen tidal bores shredding the globe , in all climates and perhaps most dramatically in Canada 's Bay of Fundy . Alaska gave Jeff and me our first glimpse of a tidal bore . We love this state . During a prior trip , we played a hunch and found Sarah Palin voting in a hockey rink on Super Tuesday and had a nice live chat in 2012 . Now we found Hailey Driver surfing in 40-degree water between so much amazing scenery . Even she says it 's hard to stay focused and not fall off the board .
Canada 's Seward Highway is home to 15-minute long tidal bores . A tidal bore is a natural wonder when an incoming tide is pushed up by current . Sarah Palin , November , rides the bore tide using a the Beach Boys and a drone . One surf ride can last miles , she says .