Among the various things that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be remembered for — and this includes the fact that it took place in 2021, amid a pandemic — surfing will probably be at the top. The sport became a part of the Olympic Games for the first time, much to the delight of ocean sports lovers the world over. And while there weren’t any Indian surfers among those competing at the Games, the day is probably not far when we just might see one riding the waves at the Olympic level. This is all thanks to the various surfing schools that have opened their doors over the last decade, in a bid to train the country’s future surfers. And some of these top surfing schools are right here in Chennai’s Kovalam Beach.
Baby steps, baby!
It was in 2011 that the first accredited surf school — Bay of Life Surf School & Ocean Literacy — was launched in Kovalam by Showkath Jamal. Back then, Showkath just wanted a place for ocean sports and also to increase awareness about ocean safety. “There is an inherent sense of fear of the ocean among Indians. Once this fear is quelled and people start using the ocean more, sports like surfing can develop in the country,” says Showkath. Bay of Life is the first of many schools in the area and most of them have been launched by ex-trainers of the school. “There are around seven surf schools in the Kovalam area now,” says Showkath.
Among these ex-trainers is Pazhani Vijayan, a fisherman-turned-surfer. Last year, right before the lockdown, Pazhani founded the Soulmate Surf School in Kovalam. “Being a fisherman, I know a lot about the ocean. Therefore, it didn’t take long for me to pick up surfing. But I realised that I loved teaching children a lot and decided to open my own school,” says Pazhani. While he has been training several people even before his school’s inception, his favourite part is teaching the local kids how to surf. Pazhani offers them free lessons regularly.
For Arun Vasu though, the reason to open a surf school was slightly different. He founded Covelong Point, which is now known as Surf Turf, in 2012, with the hope to find an alternative activity for fishermen. “The village of Kovalam is heavily dependent on fishing. Most of the locals are fisherfolk and that’s what they do every day. When I launched Surf Turf, it was a way to give the community something to enjoy and look forward to in the form of surfing,” recalls Arun. Eventually, the sport caught on and over the last several years, Surf Turf has now become the go-to destination for surfers. Arun even became the President of the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), the apex body for Indian surfing and accreditation.
Giving life a surfing boost
According to Showkath, it was the local participation that gave surfing its initial boost at Bay of Life. “During the initial years, it was only foreigners who would come to the surf school. It was only in 2013 that the locals too started getting interested. We got a Californian surf instructor around that time to train these locals as instructors,” says Showkath. With increased local participation, Showkath was able to overhaul its marketing. More pictures of Indians surfing went up on the website and across social media platforms. “Indians, at least those near the coasts, could finally identify with surfing as a sport. More people decided to take it up,” explains Showkath. Over the past decade, Showkath and his team have managed to give surfing lessons to around 8,000 people, starting from children as young as seven. On average, the school receives at least 100 surfing enthusiasts seeking lessons every week.
And it is the youngsters who have managed to make surfing what it is today, says Arun. “The younger generation has been exposed to Western content, they have travelled to foreign countries and have been introduced to the sport,” he adds. “These youngsters are also keen on fitness and what better way to stay fit than surfing? It’s fun and enjoyable and you don’t have to sweat it out either,” says Arun. At his school, Arun and his team receive around 500 students every month and at least 100 of them are regulars.
But there’s still a while before surfing is taken seriously and we can even consider international participation, let alone the Olympics. “It is a very nascent sport and a large number of people are still wary of the ocean. While the coastline of Tamil Nadu and Kerala is very suitable for beginners, India largely does not receive competition-level waves like those in Australia, Brazil or Hawaii,” says Showkath. “Surfing is a sport that’s limited to peninsular India, especially among the South Indian states. If there’s ever an international-level surfer, it will be from among these states. There are only a few surfing spots in Tamil Nadu and Kerala that get waves that are closer in type to their foreign counterparts,” explains Showkath.
Arun agrees, stating that while these areas do have good surfing conditions, the only places in India that are suitable for professional surfing remain largely inaccessible. “There are places in Lakshadweep and Little Andaman where the waves are really high and suitable for international-level surfing. Only professionals and intermediate-level surfers go there,” he says. According to Arun, India has tremendous potential when it comes to surfing, what with its over 7,000-kilometre coastline. “There are several surfing points across the states of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and it is great for beginners to practice,” explains Arun.
Creating that awareness
So, what can be done to increase participation? “Open up the water,” says Showkath, adding, “So many beaches across the country are restricted for the public. Surfing could become popular in Western countries because its people were given access to the coastline. They were made aware of the ocean and how it works. This is, unfortunately, lacking in India and a large reason why a large number of people are still afraid of the ocean.”
But fear is not the only thing that’s holding us back. The sport requires funding, sponsorship and also recognition. “We are trying to get it recognised by the Indian Olympic Committee,” says Arun. Pazhani adds, “The government has to invest in the sport so that more youngsters are motivated to take it up. Back in the day, a surfboard would cost easily between Rs 1 to Rs 2 lakh. With the boards now being crafted in India, the price has reduced to Rs 40,000 but that’s still a lot of money.”
