Teaching the joy of surfing

Surfers-turned-entrepreneurs Tanvi Jagadish and Rohan R Suvarna are nurturing a watersports culture in the coastal regio

As dawn breaks at Thottam beach near Malpe in Udupi, a group of aspiring watersports enthusiasts — some nervous, some excited — paddles into the surf guided by their instructors. Among them, balancing effortlessly on their boards, are Tanvi Jagadish (25) and Rohan R Suvarna (33), founders of Kadal Surf School.

The duo has successfully tapped into local coastal resources and redefined the meaning of entrepreneurship. From launching their surf school in October 2019 to training over 6,500 people so far, the duo’s journey has been remarkable. The school has five instructors and offers lessons in surfing, stand-up paddling (SUP), and kayaking. What sets them apart is their deep community reach. They conduct ocean awareness and marine safety workshops in schools and colleges, and independently organise beach clean-ups and awareness sessions on the impact of plastic on aquatic life.

Tanvi and Rohan are internationally certified instructors in surfing, SUP, and lifesaving, accredited by the International Surfing Association and International Life Saving Federation.

Tanvi, a pioneer in Indian SUP, is a nine-time national champion and recognised as India’s first professional female SUP racer. Rohan is a guest faculty at the National Institute of Watersports (NIWS) in Goa.

It has not always been smooth sailing for them. Their families initially resisted, hoping they would pursue “stable” jobs. While Tanvi faced some hesitation from her mother, Rohan experienced more of an awakening before fully embracing watersports. Today, they are not just instructors and champions — they have become role models.

The duo has managed to bring about a mindset shift and create a culture of watersports in the coastal region. “Five years ago, people did not even know what SUP was. Now, they bring their children for training. Surfing has given them confidence, communication skills, teamwork and discipline,” Rohan says.

Through ocean-awareness workshops and lifesaving sessions in colleges, they are dispelling fear and misconceptions about the sea. Rohan has conducted 10-15 such sessions in colleges across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

Rohan’s tryst with surfing

Although the sea was a strong physical presence for Rohan, born and brought up a few metres from the coast in Malpe, he never took to the waters, growing up. “The only time we were allowed to step into the water was during ‘Ellamavasye’, as a ritual,” he says.

Rohan’s foray into surfing came much later, after a job stint in Gujarat, following his postgraduation in chemistry from Mangalore University. The monotony of the job and a desire for change led Rohan back home. He returned to his alma mater as a project assistant on a UGC-sponsored research project. 

Around this time, he came across an SUP camp in Mulki, which was a game changer. “My first instructor was Tanvi Jagadish, who later became my guru, and eventually we started the surf school. When I first stood on the SUP board, it felt like walking on water,” he says, adding, “I had to submit my chemistry project report in 2018, but I knew my heart was no longer in the lab.”

He began practising rigorously and assisted Tanvi in conducting small SUP camps. The duo also travelled to Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, for an internship in watersports. Shortly after returning, a relative offered Rohan a café space near Malpe beach to start a surf school. “We began with just two boards. Now we have over 25,” he says.

Rohan has represented Karnataka and India in international SUP competitions, finishing 33rd globally. He has won a national bronze in SUP. He has also trained 500 people in lifesaving skills, including first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

NIWS manager (Training) Ranjeet Singh says, “Rohan has been actively involved in training people in lifesaving skills, watersports and powerboat handling across India. As a government institute, we train both officials — including those from the armed forces — as well as private individuals from across the country.” Rohan has also worked with the NIWS team on feasibility studies of waterbodies for watersports, helping State governments launch new initiatives.

Tanvi’s bond with the sea

For Tanvi, the sea has always been a constant, shaped by her roots in a fishing community. She was introduced to surfing at the age of 10 by her cousin during summer vacations with their grandparents in Mulki. Initially, she was trained at the Mantra Surf Club in Mulki.

Tanvi was inspired to take up SUP after watching April Zilg, an American stand-up paddleboard athlete and world champion, practise in Mulki. Later, she underwent training under April Zilg in the USA. At 14, she won gold in her first national-level SUP competition at the Covelong Point Surf Festival. At 16, she became the first Indian female surfer to participate in the 18-km ocean race at the International Surfing Association’s SUP & Paddleboard Championships in Fiji and stood 16th in world rankings.

There were setbacks, too: while she was stand-up paddling on Kovalam Beach near Chennai in 2018, she hit her stomach on a rock after a wave tossed her off balance, breaking her safety leash. “I suffered internal bleeding, underwent multiple scans, and took a while to heal,” she says. But she won gold at the women’s national-level SUP competition held as part of the Covelong Point Surf Festival. She went on to win titles at the 2022 Alampara Championship in Tamil Nadu and multiple national level SUP races.

Transforming lives

Beyond ticking off personal milestones, the duo has been training the younger generation in the hope that “at least some of them might take this up as a career”. And they are well on their way to doing that. Take for instance, Nithin, a class 10 student from Malpe. “It was Rohan anna who introduced me to SUP, which I enjoy now, and want to pursue along with my studies. My parents, who are fisherfolk, support me too,” he says.

“When we began training, locals were largely unaware of the sport. Interest grew through beach clean-ups and camps. Through kids’ camps, around 100 children have learned surfing and SUP,” Rohan says.

For Udupi’s Sanath Ganguli, the training was transformative. Ganguli, who owns a business in Bengaluru, was initially afraid of water, but the lessons have instilled new confidence in him. 

It was a similar experience for Anil Pagad from Raichur, who is receiving police sub-inspector training. Learning the basics of surfing gave him a confidence boost. Yashvi Poojary, a civil engineer from Udupi and an instructor at Kadal, credits Tanvi and Rohan for introducing her to the sport. “After training at Kadal, I won medals in sea kayaking and SUP at the national events in Machilipatnam in June 2025,” she says.

In all this, Tanvi and Rohan face one key hurdle — the cost of equipment. “A professional surfboard costs Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh. SUP boards start at Rs 1 lakh. They are mostly imported. If they are manufactured in India, costs would come down,” they say. 

Beyond sport, Rohan and Tanvi see Kadal as a bridge between adventure and awareness, tourism and tradition. Visitors from across India and abroad find their way to Kadal through word of mouth and social media posts. “We focus on quality and safety — that’s our reputation,” says Rohan. Learners have come from Delhi, Punjab, Assam and Hyderabad. International travellers from Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA are also drawn to Malpe for watersports. 

Take Stella from the Netherlands, who visited India with her friend for a wedding. After hearing about surfing and SUP, they took a class in Malpe — and ended up extending their stay by three days. “Now we can stand on the board and catch waves. The instructors explained everything so well. We enjoyed it,” Stella says.

Together, Tanvi and Rohan have built more than a surf school; they have fostered a coastal culture rooted in confidence, safety, sport and respect for the ocean.