Billabong Mundaka Challenge 2012

The best left in the World according to Tom Curren, one of the living surf legends, will be hosting again a surfing event. The Billabong Mundaka Challenge will start its waiting period from January 15th to the end of March.In between these dates, some of the best tube riders in world will be invited to surf the Basque most famous wave. According to the organization this will not be a common event and it will definitely bring Mundaka to the map, after being removed in 2009 from the regular stages of the World Tour of surfing.

It will have a different format with one hour heats of 6 surfers. The prize money is symbolic of 15.000 USD.

Surfers attending this event will be past Billabong Pro Mundaka winners like Occy, Mick Lowe or Bobby Martinez.Read more here

Click here to view Surf’inn Surfcamp in Mundaka

THE GLOBALIZATION OF SURF CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT IN DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

Surfing is more than sport. It has its spiritual side like kung fu, its own culture like any other art movement; it is a way of living and often a synonym of fashion and lifestyle perceived by the society worldwide.

The shaping of the surfing culture started decades ago and today is lived not only by surfers, but also by larger groups who identify themselves with surfing sport culture without ever standing on a board but you can actually find in every corner of the earth branded surf clothing even if the closest surf spots are thousands of miles away.

Razo Surf'inn Surf Camp

We may exaggerate and call it the “globalization of surf culture” which made surfing more popular and a very profitable business. Actually, one of the ways to continue protecting our waves is to make them profitable, and Supertubos in Peniche, Portugal, is an example of how surfing came above other economical interests. Supertubos is now one of the greatest surf breaks in Europe and a World Tour Event bringing thousands of people to this small fishing village which is now in the map of surfing like never before. Only with its first event, Peniche was mentioned more times in the press than in the past 50 years together.

The visibility of surfing made also possible organizations like Surf Riders Foundation, Save the Waves Coalition, Surfers against Sewage and World Surfing Reserves just to name a few, along with many anonym individuals to shout out loud to the world environmental atrocities from happening.

The surf culture cool, positive, sustainable and dynamic attitude is now used for marketing purposes by many other businesses, like car and insurance adverts, or even bank loan campaigns and the use of broadband in mobile phones. Actually, these businesses are some of the major sponsors of today’ surfing.

Many coastal destinations are also managing their brand in association to surfing not only because of the surf tourism, which in many fishing villages happen to be not a niche but one of its main tourism markets. Modern coastal resorts often use surf as way of promoting a fashionable, dynamic and cool image and consequently sponsorship of surfing events became an important item of public and private sector’s marketing budgets. Surfing events have now many forms from purely surfing competition events to surf music festivals, photo exhibitions and film festivals where surf is the main theme.

This transformation of surfing was possible due to the increasing number of surfers in the planet that get together also with non surfers to celebrate surfing as a cultural phenomenon, where cool music, art and surfing express sessions are taken.

About the author

Surf'inn Surf Camps network

Surf’inn is a branded network of surf camps that has been giving advice to both public and private sector on how to establish surf marketing campaigns, conducting market studies, developing strategies and feasibility analysis to leverage a surf positioning.

Surf’inn is also extending its global presence by operating with the best suppliers for accommodation and surf classes.

KITE & SURF - THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

There’s a bunch of ways to surf. 

The way you do it may differ from the traditional surf, to windsurf, kite, bodyboard, bodysurf, kneeboard, paddle surf, and all of these are constantly developing new surfing techniques.In fact, experienced surfers can improve their skills by combining other sports. Learning a similar surf sport can be a way of “getting out of the box” and trying new things on top of a board.“For example you can upgrade your surf skills by learning how to do kite, and the other way around, as kite surfers can always learn how to surf and increase their kite skills”, says Joao from Surf’inn Surfcamps.
“We at Surf’inn, are driving this trend offering packages to both experienced and beginners that combine accommodation with kite & surf lessons”.

Joao also says that the combination of both surf and kitesurf is also a way to maximize the time spent on surfing holidays. “We always expect weather conditions to be perfect for surf or kite, but these are always changing, being impossible to predict what the weather will be like. So, if you are adaptable you can always take advantage of what the weather will be”.

Surf’inn Lagos has been offering these packs since 2003 for all those who wish to have a diversified watersport experience.  These water sports need different natural conditions but Lagos has unique geographic conditions to combine surf, kite, windsurf and wakeboard just a few minutes away from each other! From perfect waves to consistent thermal winds and flat water, Lagos is indeed a blessed place.
Click here to find out more and Surf’inn to it.

New Surf’inn surf camps opening soon in Sri Lanka and Maldives

Surf’inn is driving up to Asia! 

Sri Lanka and Maldives are our next destinations! 

The objective is to bring up the best surf camps in the most popular and consisting swell areas in both countries.

The new surf camps will offer Surf’inn standards but at the same time being unique and with their own concepts.

Let us know your comments and suggestions about the surf and the camps in these areas!

Surf’inn to it!