To be honest, when you think about (wave) surfing, what country (not to say continent) comes to your mind? Although California, Ireland, and Costa Rica have remarkable surfing areas, it’s Australia that draws the biggest surfing communities to its shores.
And it’s not just one of the extreme sports – it is part of Australia’s cultural heritage and everyday life.
Hundreds of thousands of professionals and rockies congregate on the continent every year just to be a part of the scene and have a little slice of the iconic lifestyle.
WAVY START
Surfing may be the inseparable way of Aussie pastime, but the modern art of “board riding” was introduced in 1955 by Hawaiian/Australian duo – Duke Kahanamoku and Isabel Letham. Since then, the public was fascinated by this skill and display.
In the early days of sport, however, surfers were openly treated with hostility from local governments, despite its enormous increase in popularity.
Also, the formation of local surfer groups who would be very territorial about their parts of coasts produced resentfulness of outsiders who came to “their” beaches to surf recreationally.
Although the state-recognized surfing as a national sport that brings billions of dollars and even though the surf breaks that form perfect waves can be a commodity nowadays too and the existence of “surf gangs” is still a likelihood – the sport, originated from Polinesia, was having rather a bumpy incorporation in the culture but managed to become integrated into every pore of social life.
AUSTRALIAN SUPER BRAND(s)
When we imagine a surfer, their appearance and equipment are what catches the eye.
Australian surf brands are known worldwide and are aligned with the effortless ease and laid-back Aussie surfer vibe.
Well known across the globe are surf brands – the “Big Three” – Billabong, Rip Curl, and Quicksilver, while Rip Curl is one of the major and most positively featured. It has been at the forefront of the Australian surf scene since its creation and as such, valued by most Aussies first.
If you are looking forward to getting new or one of the best equipment there is, then definitely take a chance to buy rip curl surf gear online. From global elite athletes to regional rising talents, no matter where in the world, many ride the waves with the name which is known for its innovation and history in the surf industry.
PART OF CULTURE
Australian surf culture is a part of their national fabric and it is, for the most part, without pretense.
Besides some positive impacts of the sport to the domestic economy like the creation of employment and generating jobs for skilled labor, social, sectoral, and regional distribution of costs and benefits, coordination of government policies and programs for locals and foreign visitors; the impact could be seen in everyday life, too.
Surfing is so mainstream, just like cricket and golf, that kids on the coast grow up riding every kind of surf craft imaginable.
Its social mobility, heavy reliance on tourism, its growing population, and its multicultural composition of surfers, residents, entrepreneurs, and institutions have placed surfing in the center of social life and local narratives.
It has been such an important part of the Australian identity for a century that the influence can be seen in many media and basically everywhere.
WHAT’S WITH THE GOLD COAST
With the inclusion in the World Surfing Reserve list and alongside the process of ‘heritalization’, Australian Gold Coast has not only become a promotion of tourism and a particular lifestyle but an image of “surfing paradise”.
The area’s exclusive lifestyle that’s folding around the sport, where surfing has become a brand promoting the region and where each town’s surf club sits on a prime real estate directly on the beach, where you can enjoy a cheap meal and cold beverages – all with unmatched ocean views – is certainly contributing to attract visitors and produce wealth.
This is the place for emerging surf trends and talents, alongside the list of top-notch surfers who represent the surf scene to the highest standard.
Unfortunately, surfing on the Gold Coast has been extensively exploited by the market and starting to result in unplanned urbanization, coastal exploitation, a threat to the local cultures and communities, and marine pollution.
Every surf destination has its own culture, and like any social brew, it is not the same around the world.
In Australia, this culture resonates within the waves and that tells you enough – the waves are more legendary than the people or best sportsmen who ride them. Australian people have developed a deep and distinctive relationship with the beach and the ocean considering it common and precious, something that belongs to the community and needs to be safeguarded and protected from private interests.
Perhaps here lies their true uniqueness.
