The Future of Surfing is Diverse

By Joyce Hu

Knowing the indigenous origin of surfing is key to understanding surfing’s race and gender norms. Surfing was first practiced by indigenous cultures in Polynesia, the west coast of Africa, and Peru. When European explorers (i.e. James Cook) arrived, they violently eradicated surfing traditions from these cultures in order to dominate and enslave the local people. Later on the main land, colonial and commercial activities from the Spanish missionaries to the gold rush decimated coastal indigenous populations.

America was founded on stolen land violently taken from Native Americans and built on the backs of enslaved Africans. Racist laws and beliefs created by those in power have kept this system of dominance in place for hundreds of years. In contemporary America, confronting the shame of this truth would require those at the top to give up power. 

Maintaining this racial hierarchy through both institutionalized racism and racist actions has shaped almost every aspect of American life, including surfing. 

"From the very beginning, surfers have been blissfully unaware — or perhaps unconcerned — that their beloved sport was founded on a history of indigenous erasure, in both Hawaii and California." Read a more detailed history by Native American Journalist, surfer and writer Gina Gilio-Whitiker. 

Access to surfing thereafter has been controlled by straight white men. The rise of surfing in the 20th century was driven by white land developers who used the romance of surfing and Hawaiian surfers (like Duke Kahanamoku) to promote coastal developments and tourism. The boom in coastal property values further removed indigenous people from their rightful land. 

As the surf industry grew, the sport was systematically kept from indigenous people and minorities. During segregation, one black surfer stood out. Nick Gabaldon, the first documented black surfer, had to paddle 12 miles from Inkwell — a black-only beach in Santa Monica — to surf white-only Malibu. 

Mainstream surf media throughout the years from Gidget to Roxy embedded and perpetuate sexism and monoculture. Movies like Endless Summer cemented a colonial and racist mentality to surf travel. 

Moreover, socioeconomic realities created by institutionalized racism feed the culture that keeps blacks and other people of color off the California coastline ("surfing, that's white people shit"). The exceptions to this must outdo all others — and only then might they shift the trajectory of culture, like Buttons Kaluhiokalani, whose revolutionary surf style in the 1970s launched modern surfing. 

Surfing already has unique physical barriers for entry. A beginner surfer must be a strong swimmer with consistent access to the ocean and disposable funds for a surfboard and other gear. Learning and following the complex rules of surf etiquette is a crucial matter for everyone’s safety. Navigating localism can be a deterrent for any surfer at any level. 

Despite these factors, more people of color are starting to surf. In the last 10 years with smartphone and social media access all over the world, the actual sight of brown and gay people surfing is no longer novel. Alternative and local surf communities are growing around the world and indigenous coastal communities are reclaiming their surf history. Most relevant is the shifting ethnic makeup of the United States. 

The question today is, when will the professional surf world and mainstream surf brands (and American mainstream media) change to reflect this new and fast-changing reality?

"For young people today, nothing feels faker and off-key than perpetuating a monochromatic world that doesn’t sync up to the beautifully colorful nation they live in. For any brand today, surfing or not, inclusion and diversity must be a conscious, proactive—and yes, maybe even forced—decision. Not just because it’s the human thing to do, the moral thing, the American thing." - Bobby Kim of Hundreds has some thoughts on mainstream surf brands needing to catch up.