The attractions of surfing are obvious: powerful sensations, dramatic landscapes, communion with the ocean, agility in motion, concentration, a sense of freedom... But that’ s not all.
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography‘ Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life’, William Finnegan describes the long wait for the perfect wave( or his turn in the lineup). One may surf for the exhilaration of the ride, but it’ s also for the pauses- quasi-meditative, but also highly social – that the waiting offers. The bonds that form the water, which often last beyond the session, are sincere and make no distinctions of age, skin colour, or social class. Whether at Tamarin Bay or on a Mentawai beach, one surfer recognises another.
Communion with the ocean, agility in motion...
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“ A supernatural splendour emanates from the vast arena of moving water and sky, a latent and explosive violence that is all too real. The scene before you already seems mythical as it unfolds. I’ m always prey to a fierce ambivalence: I’ d like to be anywhere else at that moment and, at the same time, I aspire only to be here.”
– William Finnegan,‘ Barbaric Days: A Surfing Life’
Surfing also offers a genuine invitation to travel; few sports are so closely linked to discovering the world. Many Mauritian surfers have ventured abroad to explore worldclass spots beyond our reefs! Surf culture continues to attract and inspire new fans, perhaps because the sport embodies the values of solidarity, curiosity, challenging oneself and forging a connection with the elements … and if we’ re honest, is there a cooler sport out there?
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