India's biggest surfing fest at Sasihithlu from Friday

The Tourism Department, along with Mantra Surf Club and Kanara Surfing and Water Promotion Council, will organise a three-day Karnataka Surfing Festival, Indian Open Surfing-2017 from May 26 to 28 at Sasihithlu Beach, Mangaluru.

After tasting success in the debut fest in 2016, the state is hosting the event for the second time. According to Tourism department officials, it will be India’s biggest surfing festival.

Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge said the aim of the festival is to promote beaches of the state as a premier adventure destination in India. “We want to show that beaches of Karnataka are suitable for various water sport adventure activities such as surfing and stand-up paddling. The festival also aims to make surfing a popular sport in India, considering that the country has a 5,422.6-km mainland coastline,” he said.

The three-day festival will be a platform for water sports enthusiasts across all ages from India and abroad. Men and women will be able to compete in nine categories: Indian under-14, Indian grooms under-16, Indian juniors (17-22), Indian seniors (22-30), Indian masters (above 30), women of all ages, open category (Indians and foreigners) and stand-up paddling (men and women). The events will be judged by judges from the International Surfing Association (ISA) along with the Surfing Federation of India.

‘Indian Open Surfing’ is recognised by Surfing Federation of India, which is recognised as the national governing body for surfing in India by the ISA, the world governing authority for surfing.