Surfers likely to miss half-a-season

Deepthi Sanjiv | TNN | Apr 8, 2020, 04:23 IST

Mangaluru: Covid-19 has hit the surfing industry in India. In the last 15 years, the industry that has only seen growth, with the mushrooming of surf schools on the west and east coasts of India, but has for the first time come to a standstill.
Rammohan Paranjape, one of India’s early surfing pioneers, surf photographer and vice-pesident of Surfing Federation of India (SFI), said, “SFI has sent out emails to all surfing schools to remain closed. Almost three weeks ago, most surfing schools were carrying out activities in full-swing. It had been a good season till February. Towards the end of February, confusion prevailed as some states had issued notices for the closure of schools. As the suspected cases of Covid-19 increased, all schools have decided to close down, due to which surfers are expected to miss half a season of surfing this year. Surfing schools operate till the end of May, and remain closed from June to September. This is going to cause huge losses. Mantra Surf School at Mulky has already incurred losses to the tune of Rs 15-20 lakh in terms of revenue, in a month’s time,” he said.
Being a niche sport, most of the schools have a strong base for new and returning guests, which includes a mix of Indian and foreign guests. Speaking about Mantra Surf School, Rammohan said, “A decade ago we used to host a majority of international guests, but the trend has changed in recent years. With growing awareness on surfing, we are hosting at least 80% of people who are from within the country.”
Competitive surfers will also feel the heat of the shutdown. “The Covid-19 outbreak will definitely lead to an economic slowdown, due to which it could be difficult to find sponsors for events this year. The World Surf League has also cancelled events for the time being. Travel will slow down and people coming to India to surf will also reduce. March to May is the peak season for surfing, due to summer vacations for children. Offshoots of surfing like stand-up paddling, kayaking and camping will also be affected,” he added.
Tushar Pathiyan, co-founder, The Shaka Surf Club, Udupi, said, “Most surf schools operate from fishing villages on the coastline, and it is best to shut them down, as the safety of the community they are based in is the top priority. Schools receive guests from across India and abroad. I don’t think schools will be able to resume operations this season. It was a huge loss for surf schools, as we ended up refunding bookings. No camps will be held till the situation returns to normal. My request would be to postpone your surfing trip, rather than cancel support to the Indian surf school community”
Surfing in India
The surf season generally begins in September and ends in May for the west coast. Surfing Federation of India was established in 2011 by a group from Mantra Surf Club, Mangaluru, India’s first surfing club. More than 15 schools or clubs are attached to the federation. Beaches like Sasihithlu in Mulky near Mangaluru, Covelong Beach near Chennai and Mahabalipuram are now recognised as premier surfing destinations. There are several other spots in Karnataka, Kerala and Andaman and Lakshadweep island groups. Surfing has become an alternative source of income for fishing communities and has empowered them.