From Boy to Asian Surf Medallist

By 2025, Kerala’s surf story had found its hero.

Surfer: Ramesh Budihal

Ramesh Budihal, once a barefoot boy from the early batches of the Kovalam Surf Club, had spent nearly two decades chasing waves. In 2024, he became India’s National Surfing Champion.

A year later, at the Asian Surfing Championships in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, Ramesh rewrote history—becoming the first Indian surfer to win a medal at the continental stage, earning bronze against elite athletes from across Asia.

His lead performance qualified India for the Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games 2026.

Ramesh’s victory was more than a personal triumph; it symbolized twenty years of transformation—from No School No Surf to national pride. 

The waves of Kovalam had reached the world as Olympics.com marked the achievement as a historic milestone for surfing in India.

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About Author- Sanjay Vijayakumar is a surfer from Varkala, Kerala. When not surfing, he dabbles with entrepreneurship and the martial art of kalari payattu. He has founded many successful startups in the private and public sector.