SURF'S UP

For years, India's coasts have been considered purely fisherfolk territory, with sports enthusiasts choosing the sure-footedness of land over the mystery of the sea. But thrill seekers are now submitting their bodies to the push and pull of the tide, ushering in the emergence of surf culture in the country.

- SNEHA MEHTA

Minutes before dusk, a group of surfers in Goa a makes its way to the beach. Here, it is common for boards, bodies and the ocean to become one. As they ride the ebb and flow of the Arabian Sea, lithe bodies dressed in second-skin swimwear and utilitarian gear, their insouciance inspires countercultures and catwalks alike

I strain my neck looking over my shoulder for the next wave I can catch. “Is that it? Should I start paddling?” I ask Asif, my instructor at The Shaka Surf Club, signalling to a dark shadow forming in the distance over a strip of green sea, still unsure of how to read the waves. Turns out that swell is too small to ride, and I go back to being prone on the board, closing my eyes as it passes under me and gently buoys me as if I weigh nothing. It’s a few minutes before the right wave comes along and Asif jolts me out of my inertia with a sudden shout of “Paddle, paddle, paddle!” In a flurry of strenuous activity, I manage to pop up on the board and drift along with the wave, immersed in the moment, my body, mind and board acting like one. Upon reaching the shore, the spell is broken—I topple off the board and the process starts all over again.