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Surfing India, here is why!

“Where are you planning to go for your next surf trip?”
“India”
“Surfing India?! You mean Indonesia?”
“No, India.”
“Are there even waves in India?”
“Well…there is a lot of water around India, and with people still asking questions like you, I guess there are more waves than surfers. This is reason enough for me to go surfing in India”

Beautiful day somewhere South

I’ve been traveling to surf for more than a decade. Over the years, other aspects than only waves became more and more important to me. Waves are still what makes me wake up early and live a healthy life. Waves are what moves me as a surfer, but so do the people I meet along the way. Their stories become mine, and I become their.

After a trip, we maybe remember all the perfect waves we saw and surfed. Every single turn we did, and how it felt to be warmed by the sun and refreshed by the water at the same time. We treasure natures beauty as much the symbiosis between what we do with the waves, and what the wave does with us.
And in the end, it doesn’t really matter if we surfed 25 days during our trip, or the whole month.

But what makes a difference once we’re back home, are the memories we’ve got from those five days of doing and seeing something totally different.

And for this, India is the perfect place!

Small day up on the East coast, with the next generation of local surfers already being there.

I started my trip up in Delhi, and went to see all the tourist attractions. Not that I see myself as a “normal” tourist, but once in India, it would be a shame to miss out on certain things. Jaipur, the Taj Mahal, or Varanasi are important places in India and worth to see. But the same goes for: Endless train rides, people who don’t stop staring at you, or another cup of tea… your 7th that day.

My surf-quest brought me to Goa, Gokarna, Varkala, Kovalam, Mahabs, Chennai, and a couple of places in between. I had a few good days of surfing India with fun waves, but nothing compare to Indonesia. And not really the kind of waves to fly around the globe for. Most of all, not for its inconsistency. BUT this is what keeps it more or less under the radar for surf trips I guess.

But India holds something for those who come with enough time on their hands, and mind, body and soul wide open.

Surfing India might give you a wave heavy enough to almost break your heel, or a glassy morning surf with no one out. It might offer you to surf a wave no one has ever surfed before, or as you’ve never heard of it, it feels like you discovered that wave. But don’t be surprised if surfing India means small shitty wind-chop for days and days, or countless bacteria in the water that make you sick. India has it all, and as welcoming as this country and its people are, it gives it all to you!

Far away from the waves, but deep inside India

What India offers you for sure, on top of the most delicious food, is a young, very small and tight-knit surf-culture, which is very welcoming. As a contrast to other places in the world, India’s local surfers are happy for you to come. They are happy to share their waves, their time and their stories.

It’s probably their purity, and their child-like approach to surfing that created the Indian version of the Aloha-Spirit,

which I hope they manage to keep.

With money getting involved in surfing India, some people seem to forget about that Aloha-spirit, that makes them so special as a surf community and surfing nation. But I hope and believe it stays. The spirit I felt with all the people who crossed my path, this country, its people and its surfers that are unique, and happy for you to come.

Perfect waves and no one out

It’s up to you now to decide if your next surf trip is going to be India or Indonesia. And it’s up to all of us now to keep surfing India the way it is. Doesn’t matter if we’re visiting or visited. Keep the smile on your face, the stoke in your heart and the board under your feet.

Surfing Mahabs on a local shaped board

Are you interested now, and want to know more? Check my article about India as a surf destination.