Riding along the wave

This quaint fishing village has become an integral part of Chennai’s surfing scene and now, a surfer from the beautiful place of Kovalam, is all set to represent India in an upcoming International Paddleboard Championship. A fisherman, Sekar Patchai’s life changed after meeting Murthy Megavan, a prominent surfer, five years back.

“I was just another fisherman who loved to go deep sea fishing and enjoy his day’s catch. But my life took a different turn when I met Murthy. He introduced me to surfing and later, when Murthy started the Covelong Point Surf school in 2012, I joined the school as a surfing instructor. It’s been an interesting journey so far with the school,” shares the 26-year-old.

After becoming a full-time surfer, Sekar participated in multiple surfing tournaments across the country. But the upcoming tourney is special for him. “This championship, to be held from November 12 to 20, will have participants from across 40 countries. It’ll be a different experience altogether. I hope to meet a lot of surfers and get to learn more about the water sport,” says the 11-time gold winner at the National SUP Championship.

Elaborating on the stand-up paddle surfing, he explains, “Unlike traditional surfing, stand-up paddle boarders position themselves on their boards, while using a paddle to propel themselves through the water. Though it’s a global water sport, stand-up paddle surfing started gaining attention in India only a few years back,” Sekar says.

Happy to divulge details about his training methods, he reveals, “I don’t have a different training pattern for this championship. Balance, time and focus are the main three important qualities a surfer should have. And I am focusing more on my balancing skills. To develop the core-strength, I’ve enrolled in a gym, and it helps me a lot. Timing is another important aspect. After surfing for years, I’ve been able to master it, thanks to Murthy,” he quips.

The surfer, who will be taking part in two disciplines of stand-up paddling at Fiji — SUP Racing Technical and SUP Racing Distance — wants to put India on the world surfing map. “Earlier, it was only the fishermen who tried surfing and other watersports. But now things have changed. A lot of commoners are coming forward to surf and learn it professionally. There should be more support for this sport at the national level.”

An avid surfer, Sekar wishes more children take up this sport. “I want to teach the children from my village to surf, and help them qualify for international tournaments. There are many potential surfers in Kovalam. But we need to tap into their potential. Parents should also introduce their kids to the water sports,” says Sekar, who also loves football and cricket.

Though a full-time instructor at Covelong Point, Sekhar goes fishing when time permits. “I can’t do without fishing. It’s in my blood,” he says, revealing his other plans, “Though there are a lot of films about fishermen and coastal life, there hasn’t been any on surfing. It’s my dream to take a short film about surfing or any other adventure sports. I don’t know how to proceed with that, but I’ll definitely do it sometime soon!”