Kerala: Surf, sand and sea

The beaches in Kovalam and Varkala are swarming with surfers from across the country.
What better way to chill out than take on the waves and surf away to glory this hot summer! The beaches in Kovalam and Varkala are now the alluring coastal areas in the state for surfers from across the country. The popularity of the adventure sport in Kovalam has been increasing over the years, thanks to the one and only surfers club, which started off a decade ago with three old boards and half a dozen kids.
"Today, the club has about 20 members, who teach surfing to foreigners and interested people who also take part in competitions. In fact, the foreigners who come to the Kovalam coast are very impressed by the surfing skills of the members of the club," says K Vincent, who had taken the assistance of the club members to hone his surfing skills.

Kovalam's well-developed infrastructure and safety precautions make it an ideal location for surfers and this was the prime reason for choosing the locale for India's first official surfing and stand-up paddle competition by the Surfing Federation of India this year.

The body's vice-president, Rammohan Paranjape, tells us, "Besides it being the hot spot for tourism, a lot of people come to Kovalam to surf and the local club has encouraged this trend by training adults as well as kids. The waves here that reach about 25 ft are apt surf breaks."
The event, which is being held till May 5, already has about 100 participants and will also serve to establish ranking among the surfers in the country. "This will help us to identify the talents and train them for international-level competitions," says Rammohan.

Apart from Kovalam, the beaches in Varkala too are hot destinations for tourists. However, the waves here are much higher than in Kovalam, which make it suitable for thrill seekers than novices.

Interestingly, the kind of crowd that constitutes the group is a surprise. Nineteen-year-old fisherman Mathai is one among them. He, along with his group of friends, take out their boat for the daily catch at the break of dawn and work at the restaurants at the Varkala cliff in the evening; in between, they teach surfing or are riding the wave themselves.
"I was trained by a Belgian tourist a few years ago. The training was more about repairing the boards, waxing it and setting up the fins. Since we use small boats for fishing, the balancing part was easy and we understand the currents better. Being from the coast, the ocean is our home and surfing is a pure thrill," he says.