Madras Week | Surfing capital Kovalam near Chennai welcomes its next generation of little surfers

What makes Kovalam a surfing capital? Kovalam welcomes its next generation of surfers as under-16 athletes make their presence known in competitive circuits

The tide is high. Lean waves lap against the curved shoreline of Kovalam. P Harish, all of seven, has caught sight of a promising wave. He chases after it, and in a quick swerve, tames the to-be giant. His surfboard is easily twice his size.  

Not too far away, in an endearing show of fine sportsmanship, Saanvi Hegde takes her opponent Kamali Moorthy on a piggyback ride to the shore. The latter has injured her ankle. The little surfers — giants when it comes to balancing waves — giggle their way back after their final heat in the U-16 category at the Covelong Classic Surf Championship as constant check-ins from everyone around follow. Camaraderie over competition, any day. Here, on this shore, nothing beats community. 

Kovalam’s burgeoning surfing revolution made ample noise more than a decade ago. Boasting some of the best waves on the East Coast, making it a favoured destination in India for both local and international surfers alike, the beach and the fishing hamlet have gained ground as a sought-after destination for training and competition circuits.

“The conditions in Kovalam, Mamallapuram, leading up to Pondicherry on the East Coast beds have been consistent through the surf season starting in August. We get anywhere between 4ft to 8ft high waves, which are decent waves even in world standards. It sets a challenge,” says Arun Vasu, president of Surfing Federation of India (SFI), who also helms the TT Surf Development Programme aimed at spotlighting young surfers  

Today, the village situated 30-odd kilometres away from the city centre in Chengalpattu district, is home to 12 independent surf schools, not including the three in nearby Mamallapuram. 

While surfers like S Moorthy, Dharani and Sekar are household names in the community, Kovalam is now steadily churning out young stars, possibly the next generation of surfers to emerge from the Coromandel Coast. At the recently concluded Mahabs Point Break Challenge, and Covelong Classic, it was evident that the next few years would be crucial for these young athletes as they navigate international competitions that catapult them on to the global stage. 

Fifteen-year-old Kamali, who has been surfing since the age of three, is already making waves. Daughter to a doting single mother, Suganthy who sold water bottles along the shore temples to raise her two children, Kamali picked up the sport from her uncle Santhosh Moorthy.