Sports
India's first ever official national surfing and standup paddle competition will begin in Kerala this month.
Updated : Sep 29, 2017, 11:27 AM IST
Surfing Federation of India (National Governing Body for Surfing in India) has organised India's first ever official National Surfing and Standup Paddle competition.
Called Spice Coast Open, the contest will be held at Kovalam Beach in Kerala from the 3rd-5th May 2013.
"It is an International event and former cricketer Jonty Rhodes, our ambassador will be present for the inauguration ceremony on the May 3," said Deepti Jha, media and marketing head, Surfing Federation of India.
Jonty Rhodes, who is also the surfing ambassador for the Surfing Federation of India, is an avid surfer.
50 participants have already registered for the three-day event. Foreign participants are expected to attend too.
The event will be held in four age categories in surfing and two in standup paddle. Organisers says it's a campaign to include surfing into the Olympics and other international multi-sport events.
There will also be workshops and introductory classes on surfing and standup paddle for people to enjoy the sport of surfing.
There are also going to be screenings of water and surf films a photo exhibition, and other beach programmes for visitors.
What is stand up paddle?
Stand Up Paddle Boarding is a realtively new paddling sport where the paddler stands up on a board similar to a surf board or a windsurf board. The paddler and the board are propelled across the top of the water by the use of a long single-bladed paddle
The video is an overview of the event.
Some Interesting Facts About Surfing
Here are a few surfing facts to boost your knowledge about the relatively new and upcoming sport in India.
According to Oxford Dictionary, "Surfing is the sport or pastime of being carried to the shore on the crest of large waves while standing or lying on a surfboard."
Surfing In India
India has a vast coastline of 7500 km (4600 miles) which offers opportunities for surfing. The best time to surf in India is said to be between May and September. The pre-monsoon and monsoon season produces the largest waves.
Murdeshwara and Kapu Beach are well-known surfing spots. Surfing Federation of India is the governing body for surfing in India. Though Indians are yet to put their foot in this field but it's a sport which is gaining attention.