How surfing came to Kerala

In 2005, a Belgian surfer named Jelle Rigole arrived in Kovalam as an intern with the Sebastian Indian Social Projects (SISP). Along with his surfboards, he brought a new idea that would transform Kerala’s coastal youth.

At the time, SISP—founded in the early 1990s—was running an open school for children from fishing communities, offering a second-chance education to those who had dropped out. Yet attendance was low; many preferred the sea to the classroom.

Jelle launched the “No School, No Surf” program: attend school five days a week, earn two days of surf training. For children who lived by the sea, that rule became a spark of motivation.

Credit: Kovalam Surf Club

Life on the coast was tough—long hours at sea, little access to higher education, and social unrest. Fights and alcohol often filled the vacuum of opportunity. Surfing offered an alternative: discipline, teamwork, and joy. Through the rhythm of waves, young people discovered confidence, community, and purpose.

This was where Kerala’s surf story began—as an act of hope, not sport.

---

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.