Brazil, as it stands right now, is the most surf-stoked nation on the planet.
Surfing is a social transformation agent. It’s a relevant economic factor. In Brazil alone the sport generated nearly $3 billion USD in 2008 and accounted for 1.4 million jobs. Though having two world champs and plenty of quality surfers, we still lack of a strong national league and investments on the base category. We’re the third biggest surfing nation in the world and we don’t know who is the Brazilian surfer. What do they want, who do they influence, what do they consume and who do they aspire to be?
But what about the biggest question: Why is he or she so notoriously known as bad-mannered?
These are all interesting questions. Another thing that tends to go unnoticed in Brazil is how profitable a given surf break can be. Surfers stopped being barefoot tourists a long time ago and they bring their money with them all around the world. In a 2007 study commissioned by Surfrider Foundation, Australian researchers Neil Lazarow and Boyd Blackwell found that Queensland’s South Straddie generated AU$20 million alone. The money came from surfers buying food, surf goods, gas, accommodations and more. And this was just one spot in the middle of a bountiful coast. In contrast, how much does Rio de Janeiro lose annually for throwing raw sewage in São Conrado? Or how deep is Espírito Santo’s revenue loss after one of Brazil’s best wave (Regência) was plagued by the biggest environmental disaster of the world?
Since the 50’s surfing has been one of the biggest influencers of youth culture in the world. This sport and lifestyle gave birth to skateboarding and even boosted the success of electric guitars (remember those wet Dick Dale riffs). Surfing has always been a counterculture statement and that also led to the growth of its influence. Good or bad, it’s part of youth development. That’s why going deeper and knowing more about the people that try to tame the ocean is a worthwhile pursuit.
All these questions were present in the first version of the Recognizing Surfing study. It’s not just about a hedonist pleasure of a handful of hippies living in an enchanted world. It’s about understanding a subculture that have a deep and lasting impact on the world’s youth culture.
So we have a lot of questions and few answers. It’s time to change that. Though it may be hard, some are on a mission to do this. A mate and I have started a crowd funding campaign to redo this research. We’re going to cross twelve states along the Brazilian coast, interviewing and uncovering the stories of Brazilian surf culture, understanding the different impacts this lifestyle has on the continental coastline. This qualitative research portion will later be applied to quantitative research, both supported by bigger research bureaus.
So you might be wondering, “Why the hell am I going to support this project?” It’s common for Brazilian surfers to have one the worst reputations among all nations. True. But we believe that through self-knowledge and acceptance of our own identity we’re going to be educating people about our surfing selves and our national culture, and that may lead us to a more well-mannered and understanding Brazilian surfer.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about this project here
