Tamil Nadu surfers win big at the Covelong Classic 2024 in Kovalam

One of the surfers in action
| Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas

An unusually high tide, and stillborn waves welcomed surfers on the East Coast today, as the Covelong Classic surf championships’ semi-final and final rounds began at 7am. Though the start was slow, the waves quickly picked up pace, and paved the way for some unexpected manoeuvres by homegrown surfers. 

In its 10th edition, the Covelong Classic which had been celebrated as a music, surf and yoga festival since 2013, took a step back this time to spotlight the competitive aspect of the sport. The beach today saw around 300 to 400 keen followers of the sport in attendance, which through previous editions have seen more than 20,000 in footfall. Scorecards and coloured flags went up from time to time indicating the lead surfers in different categories through the day. While the evening had music by Chennai-based acts like BLWR and Medium Rare, a friendly competition between school/college bands in the city was a highlight. 

“This year, we really wanted to focus on the sport and its growth and encourage participation from children and women,” says Arun Vasu, President of the Surfing Federation of India, Tamil Nadu Surfing Association, the owner of Surf Turf and chairman of TT Group. 

The competitions were categorised  into Mens Open, Womens Open, Groms 16 and Under Boys and Groms 16 and Under Girls, of which the Mens category saw a participation of 48 athletes, mostly from Kovalam and Mammallapuram. Says 16-year-old Kishore Kumar who won the Mens Open Final, “Kovalam is where I learned how to surf, watching Dharani [senior surfer and coach] anna and others, I feel very comfortable in these waters.” He is part of a team of eight that will leave next week for the upcoming Asian Championships in Maldives. Sixteen-year-old Kamali Moorthy already well known for her dexterity, was another breakout star to look out for as she clinched the lead in the Groms U-16 Girls category. Srishti Selvam and Tayin Arun, both from Chennai, won in the remaining two categories.

The coastline conditions here are diametrically different from the West Coast. “The most challenging part is sometimes to go for heats back to back, but the waves here make for a long ride, which is fun,” says 14-year-old Sanvi Hegde from Mangaluru.