Ride The Wave: Welcome To The Rise Of Surfing In The UK
In spite of falling 'hook, line and sinker' for the 'ultimate cool' surfer girl aesthetic she associated with the sport as a child, it wasn't until Lindsey Holland turned 33 for her to first try riding a board. In 2021 she booked a retreat in Portugal after having a challenging time personally and recalls leaving 'completely addicted' to the experience. 'I fell off loads, but the joy that I felt from being able to stand up on the board and actually feel the wave’s energy pushing me forward was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.'
Holland didn’t realise it at the time, but she was among the many Brits who tried surfing for the first time in the same year that it was due to make its debut as an Olympic sport — and discovered its myriad physical and mental health benefits as a result. It was one of three creative pursuits (alongside skateboarding and climbing) to be thrust onto the world stage at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, which took place in July 2021.
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Its inclusion was monumental for the sport and its raised profile had a ripple effect in the UK. That summer, The Wave, an inland simulator in Bristol which opened in November 2019 had a sell-out season, while Surf England reported a boom in people booking lessons nationwide. A growing number of surf retreats — including Holland’s, which is named Marnie Rays — have since launched to cater to the growing appetite from Brits to practise both here and further afield. As well as the original Portugal Marnie’s retreat, two new locations were introduced this year by Holland’s team to meet demand; one in Cornwall and one in Bali.
Now, with surfing set to feature for a second time at the Olympics for Paris 2024 (the competitions will take place in Teahupo’o in Tahiti) its popularity continues to grow apace and more surf lovers are endeavouring to make the sport as accessible as possible at all levels. 'We know there is an "Olympic effect", especially for new or guest sports, with interest rising around the Games taking place. We currently welcome around 70,000 individual surfers a year, but I expect to see an increased appetite for people wanting to learn to surf on the back of the Games this year,' says The Wave founder and Surf England director Nick Hounsfield.
A growing interest in surfing is also palpable in sales of the gear. Free People reports that it launched its Surf shop last year after customer interest had been spiking globally for surf pieces, and says there has been a 22% year on year increase in customers seeking out this category in the UK since then.
The sport’s increased profile is important, says Hounsfield. 'Surfing is already a growing sport in the UK and getting more people to try it – and reap the amazing "blue health" benefits and pure fun that comes with it – can only be a good thing.' His centre attracts people from a wide cross section of ages, abilities and backgrounds, from total beginners to Olympic hopefuls. It offers women only sessions as well as carrying out outreach work to improve diversity in surfing, with its city location meaning it’s more accessible to those who may not usually be able to try the sport due to geographical, financial or cultural barriers. Next there are plans for a centre in London, which, along with the Surf Snowdonia in north Wales would make for three inland surf locations in the UK.
Inspiring people who don’t live near surf spots on the coast to try the sport is something Bola Adeoshun has tapped into with the award-winning documentary Wave Women UK, which was released last month, directed by Lolly Michaels. It follows four young Black women from London spending several days learning to surf and finding joy and a sense of achievement in the sport. It was inspired by Adeoshun’s own experiences of surfing for the first time in Cornwall. 'I never thought surfing was even possible in the UK, due to my experience of mostly London weather and limited travel experiences within the UK.'
The trip also highlighted other ways in which representation was lacking in the sport, and inspired her to lead the change. 'During my time in Cornwall I did notice the demographic of the people there and wondered if surfing was something more people from ethnic backgrounds did. A quick search on social media and I would find myself immersed in surf videos of ethnic women from all over the world, living their best life. "This is what the UK needs," I thought to myself.'
The film was shot in 2022 between the two Olympics, which Adeoshun says felt like 'the perfect opportunity to inspire more diversity within the UK surf scene.' As Michaels explains, the women’s journeys articulate the need to 'step outside your comfort zone and be brave and courageous.' It’s especially important as Adeoshun points to a Sports England survey, which shows that 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children in England do not frequently engage in swimming activities. 'It’s crucial for swimming to be a basic life skill that everyone has. And from experience, people are much more willing to learn a new skill and stick with it if it’s fun and they can develop a sense of community around it. We wanted to show people the ocean is fun for everyone to experience.'
It’s a sentiment that Holland endorses too and wants to bestow to the attendees of her retreats. 'It’s about the process. It’s not just about ripping and shredding all the time, and that intimidating stuff. It’s like therapy, because you can’t think about anything else except what’s coming next. Everybody has such a synergy with the water. There is no more immersive thing than being in the water in nature,' she posits.
Encouraging surfing as a hobby is an important side-effect of the Olympics, though the Games also means it is being taken more seriously at a professional level. A monumental achievement given that swimming freestyle champion and native Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku — who popularised the sport — campaigned for its inclusion in the Games as far back as the 1920s for this reason. 'It's challenging people’s views of what an Olympic sport actually is for those who have stereotypes of athletics and track sports. They’re becoming more receptive to the idea that it’s a serious sport and not just a cool one for people’s free time,' says Holland.
Of the 48 surfers competing for Paris 2024, none are British, with Olympic bronze medallist skater Sky Brown having fallen short of qualifying at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico to become a double category competitor (though she says she is 'super proud' of how far she made it in the event). However, at just 15 she has plenty of time to make it as an Olympic surf competitor — and so too do other young female surfers who will be inspired by seeing a breadth of new role models coming to the sport across all abilities.
Surfing’s inclusion in the Games has set a new bar of ambition for some, but for those for whom even standing up on a board will be a huge achievement, it can only be a good thing that there is a growing community at the beaches and wave machines ready and waiting for them to get on board.
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