Exploration is part of a surfer’s life. We may surf at our favourite beach for much of the year, but we chase waves from coast to coast and country to country. The quest for the perfect wave, that perfect surf, ensures we don’t stand still. We chase, we dream, we explore.
In this issue of Wavelength, we investigate how surfing is breaking barriers and challenging perceptions and frontiers. Take India for example. In a country with an approximate population of 1.25 billion, only an estimated 500 people surf and even fewer of that number are women. It’s a disturbingly low number which is attributed to culture and the fact that beaches in India are seen for tourists, picnics and fishing. Even the concept of swimming in the sea is alien.
In Bangladesh, the story is little different. Nasima tells her story. Married at 16, her husband does not approve of her love for surfing as it reflects badly on him and his family. Reading these stories it makes you realise how free we are in the western world where we can go where we want, when we want and explore to our heart’s content.
Iceland is another stop on a surfer’s trip which is well worth exploring. With only a handful of surfers and some world class waves it really is a place to be visited. And if you can stretch to the airfare, Cape Verde, located off the coast of West Africa offers empty line-ups and a selection of waves so epic that you’ll wish you discovered it sooner.
Enjoy the magazine.