In Deep Water

In her third surf season in Kodi Bengre, along Karnataka's Udupi coast, Shivangi Vaswani watches the Indian shoreline come alive with a new generation of wave-chasing travellers

- Shivangi Vaswani

KODI BENGRE DOESN'T LOOK like your typical surf town. It’s a sleepy fishing village where a narrow, four-kilometre road, flanked by coconut trees and Mangalore-tiled roof houses, separates the Arabian Sea from the Swarna River. There are no beach shacks, no flashy signboards, and no crowds—just boats pulled up onto the sand, the scent of fish in the air, and the kind of salty breeze that lingers on your skin. The first time I paddled out on a surfboard into these waters, I knew I had found something I wasn’t ready to leave behind.

Surf Club With Soul

The Shaka Surf Club (shakasurfclub.com), where I spent two weeks in 2023, is tucked along the river’s edge, with the sea just ahead. Founded by Tushar Pathiyan and Ishita Malaviya, the surf club is a modest local home, stacked high with surfboards and skateboards, surrounded by an outdoor campsite of tents, hammocks, open showers, and lounging spaces under the palms. From my very first morning, I sensed life here moved to a different rhythm—campers sipping masala chai and eating fruit with idli, dosa or appadade, prepared by women from one of three neighbouring families. They cook for the surf club as part of a paid, community-based service that supports local households. As guests rush to pull on their board shorts and rash vests, the instructors wax their boards and prepare to take the latest batch of beginners into the sea.