Surfers from India and across the world flocked to Puducherry as the first day of the Summer Swell Challenge, the third edition of the international competition, kicked-off at the south end of the beach on Friday.
Organiser and founder of the Kallialay Surf School Juan Reboul said that the festival offered a unique opportunity for amateur surfers to meet the professionals. The participants, especially up-and-coming surfers, were taught about the rules as it is very important in a contest.
“Surfing as a sport is slowly catching up in India. When we came to India in 1995, only a handful of people were into surfing. However, there was a boom in surfing in 2002 and we decided to set up our own surfing school in 2008 following good response from the public. Around 600 to 700 people are being trained at the Kallialay Surf School every year,” he said.
Around 24 participants have been selected for the second round qualifiers to be held on Saturday at the south end of the beach.
