Travel: Ride the waves at Tannirbhavi Beach

While studying biotechnology in Australia nationallevel swimmer Partha Varanashi tried surfing and he kept going back for more On his return to India in 2012 he started a summer camp for surfing in his hometown Mangalore but it had very few takers Not one to get disappointed he started teaching swimming and competitive surfing by forming the Stoked Surfers Club later that year along with three friends Dhruvin Jasani Mithun Bhat and Abhinav BansaSinchana D Gowda 14 won two national level championships in 2015 mdash Surfing Federation of India SFI Covelong Point Classic and Mahabs Surf Classic An exstudent of Stoked Surfers Club she currently trains with the Surfing Federation Of India Pic courtesyStoked surfers clubldquoInitially I started teaching friends There were very few surf schools back then and no one was really teaching competitive surfing We identified few of our best swimming students with a stronger core and broad shoulders and trained them rigorously for six monthsrdquo he recalls ldquoInitially we put in some money bought 15 surfboards and got a place on the beach A large part of the training takes place at the beautiful Tannirbhavi beach in Mangalorerdquo he addsSrikrishna Vasanth is an ISA International Surfing Association certified instructor and trustee Stoked Surfers Club PICS courtesy Stoked Surfers ClubStoked Surfers Club is the first Indian surf school with its own surf lifesaving club In 2014 as part of a cultural exchange between India and Australia one of the collaborations that the Rashtriya Life Saving Society India undertook was to introduce surf life saving in India ldquoThey approached us asking if we could start a surf lifesaving club in Mangalore It is a popular concept in Australia and America and is mandatory in most surf clubsrdquo explains Varanashi who is now also director of Rashtriya Life Saving Society India ldquoAccording to a recent survey 23 of the worldrsquos drowning cases occur in India and 16000 people drown in India every year As part of the surf lifesaving club we have now trained 40 students who finished the first level of training three levels are must to complete the course one of them also saved a life on Tannirbhavi beach recentlyrdquo he adds proudlyFrom left Sinchana D Gowda Partha Varanashi and Anisha Nayak Laurels for surfersStudents of the club have started winning laurels already Sinchana D Gowda 14 exstudent of Stoked Surfers Club won two national level championships in 2015 mdashSurfing Federation of India SFI Covelong Point classic and Mahabs Surf Classic She currently trains with the Surfing Federation of India and is ranked No 1 in the womenrsquos open surfing in India Anisha Nayak another exstudent of the club stood third in the same contests has a No 3 rankingStudents of the Surf Life Saving Club train to help swimmersWho can surfVaranashi informs that enthusiasts must know swimming to enjoy surfing to the fullest Nonswimmers are also taught with life jackets A person who is able to jog for 1 km can qualify as a fit enough to surfPartha Varanashi with fellow surfersHow to get startedldquoSurf training starts on a soft surfboard The student learns balancing paddling and catching waves After two to three days the same process is repeated on a hard surfboard Hard surfboards are not given to absolute beginners since they can get hurtrdquo he adds These surfboards are about eightandahalffeet long As one gets better at it they graduate to smaller surfboards of six feet and then five feet ldquoIf you inform trainers sufficiently in advance they prescribe a few exercises to help strengthen the arms and increase fitnessrdquo says Varanashi Training on a skateboard can also help learn balance One can learn the basics in four to five sessions Each session runs for two to three hours Currently a certificate is given on completion of the instructorrsquos course An instructor can then take on three students at a time with lifeguardsWhy MangaloreThe right direction of wind and no rain are essential for a good surfing experience Low tide is usually preffered ldquoWe dont teach during the monsoon We use that time to train ourselves and upgrade the instructorsrdquo says Varanashi ldquoMangalore has clean beaches good water lesser crowds and long green patches making it ideal for surfing It is not touristy and commercial like the beaches of Goardquo he explainsCost mattersA beginnerrsquos course costs Rs 1300 for a single class Rs 2999 for three classes and Rs 3999 for five classes The threeclass module also known as weekend class is the most popular The school provides the surfboard for these sessions You can rent a surfboard for R500 per hour only if you are trained and can handle hard surfboards Soft surfboards are not given out on rent Buying a board can be expensive mdash it costs about Rs 50000Other surfing havens Andaman amp Nicobar Islands Pondicherry Mahabalipuram Kovalam Covelong and Udipi make for great surfing destinationsEmail surfmangaloregmailcomCall 9482213019