Growth of the industry isn’t a bad thing for surfers.
Surfers tend to be inherently territorial. We don’t like when “non-locals” surf our home breaks (take the current Lunada Bay case, for example.) To be completely honest, I even get slightly bothered when a friend buys the same wetsuit or board as me. This localism creates a certain animosity towards the non-surfing population when they appropriate surf culture and surf lifestyle. How many people wearing Quiksilver t-shirts can actually surf well, or more importantly, surf at all? How about fans of the Beach Boys? Do they all surf? No. As surfers, we tend to bitterly write these people off. But the spread of surf culture is not something that should be looked down upon. If anything, it should be appreciated.
At the moment, the most progressive and exciting surfing is not happening on the WSL. Instead, surfing’s progression takes place in video parts, from both free surfers and tour surfers alike (What Youth’s Cluster is a good example of this). It is the duty of surf companies to continue supporting the progression of the sport. As a result, companies sponsor free surfers, pay for trips, videographers, and even helicopters in some cases. And like it or not, to afford this, surf brands must appeal to a larger community.
I go to New York University and am currently spending the spring semester abroad in Paris. Living in New York and now Paris, I have seen first-hand the spread of surf culture and style. I hear surf-rock (cue The Growlers) in bars in Williamsburg and Oberkampf alike. This is undoubtedly a product of the recent influx in trendy “surf-life-style-brands,” like Brixton, Vissla, Rhythm, Banks, Saturdays NYC etc… Most of these brands promote more than just the physical act of surfing. For instance, Brixton sponsors musicians and Vissla sponsors shapers. In doing this, these brands are no longer solely selling backpacks, board shorts, and felt hats—they are selling a lifestyle. None of this would be possible without the larger appeal of surf culture to the general public. Let’s face the facts: two of the WSL’s biggest sponsors are Samsung and Jeep. Surfing is not just for surfers. This is the reality and it’s not as bad as the “truly local” or “raw” surfers make it out to be.
Some of my favorite musicians at the moment—The Drums, DIIV, Hinds, Mac DeMarco—tend to retain some eliminates of surf rock in their music (Anderson Paak sampled Gerry Lopez for his new hip/hop album Malibu). I doubt any of these artists are hardcore surfers, and even if some are, it in no way changes whether I like or dislike their music. Surf culture has left the coastal spheres which once walled it off, and it’s now available and marketed to the general population. It seems like half the population of Paris ages 16-25 either wear or at least own a pair of Vans. Without these consumers, how could Vans manage to afford to sponsor surfers like the Gudauskas brothers or events such as The Triple Crown? The people that surfers coin as “kooks” are the ones sustaining a large part of the surf industry.
You don’t need to befriend the person who paddles out on a Wavestorm in a brand new neon wetsuit and ruins your wave. But at least acknowledge that without those consumers, the sport we all love would struggle to exist in a world largely focused on turning profits. As the surf culture saturates into other mediums—fashion, music, nutrition—more people are going to be forced to consider adopting the surf mindset and lifestyle, which has the potential to be a very beautiful change.
