BackBarrel riders
Three of India's best surfers on where to surf in India, and their favourite global destinations
Premium
u Ishita Malaviya, 25
Co-founder, The Shaka Surf Club, Delta beach, Kodi Bengre, Karnataka
Board-print: Back in 2013, I was part of a documentary film called Beyond The Surface, in which I and five other professional female surfers, all from the US, took a month-long trip along India’s southern coast, looking for remote locations to surf at. I have surfed in Sri Lanka and did a lot of travelling last year. I have surfed in California, Hawaii and New York in the US and also went to Australia.
Local favourites: I enjoy surfing in Kovalam and Varkala, in Kerala. The west coast has more lefts (waves that break from the surfer’s right to his left) than the east coast, and I like that. The Mangaluru jetty has some really big waves just before the monsoon. On the east coast, Mamallapuram has good point breaks (waves that break on rocks).
Global wonders: Hawaii is the mecca of surfing, and it was a memorable experience to live on its north shore, where all the professional contests are held. Tushar and I also surfed in freezing cold weather in New York. It was my first time surfing in a wet suit, and it was quite different. Last year, we went for Australia’s Byron Bay Surf festival, where A Rising Tide: The India Surf Story, a documentary film we helped make, was screened. We met many surfing legends there. The most daunting waves I have encountered were at a beach called Spooky’s, in New South Wales, Australia.
Bucket list: I have never surfed in the Andaman islands. There are world-class waves there, so I really want to go.
uSandeep Samuel, 31
Founder, Cocopelli Surf School, Gokarna, Karnataka
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