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In the middle of the Indian Ocean, perhaps the best and most consistent ocean to be a surfer, lies the subcontinent of India. Long overshadowed by neighboring countries like Maldives and Sri Lanka, India has only recently begun to show her charms in a surfing context.
While the Andaman and Laccadive Islands and portions of the mainland like Tamil Nadu, Andra Pradesh and Karnataka have been surfed, the vast portion of mainland India has largely been a mystery for surfers. Poor infrastructure, high costs, impenetrable local cultures along with uncertain swell and weather have put off many would-be surf adventurers from mainland India, but that is starting to change.
A recent surfEXPLORE project to the former Portuguese colony of Diu, an island on the west coast exposed to pre-monsoon windswell from the Arabian Sea and long-period groundswell from the Indian Ocean, found a plethora of unridden waves. With many hotels and a big holiday beach at Nagoa, Diu has long been a popular vacation destination for Indians. Now it may become one of India’s most popular surfing areas as well.