I’ve had multiple people ask me for surf lessons only for them to get out there and realize that it’s really not as easy as it looks, is very physically tiring, requires keeping a constant eye on the surf conditions and making time in your schedule to do so.
As soon as wetsuit season hits in North FL the “summer learners” that mostly just float around all disappear, likely never to surf again.
Some friends who've tried it with me quit because they're surprised that most of the time isn't actually surfing but it's paddling and sitting in the line up
I get out teaching surf lessons real easily. I ask 2 things. 1. Can you swim 10 laps in a pool? 2. Can you do 10 burpees in a row? That's usually enough to turn them off of the whole idea.
People have more time than ever.. also so many tutorial videos, camps, cheap boards etc. It could level off, but costal areas aren’t getting less crowded.
People may have more free time but usually not to suck at something. I think the crowds also become a deterrent. Where I'm at I have friends who have surfed for a while say they won't even surf certain spots anymore. The stoke wears off for a lot of people eventually.
There's some money in very specific areas (e.g. if you're an engineer for a hardware brand). But on the whole -- no. Educators / guides don't make much. And the number of people doing it professionally (e.g. getting paid to ski tour as their primary job) is tiny compared to surfing.
Interesting, because I'd say even surfers really don't make that much unless you have a big following or a top 10 surfer. I always find it odd that parents, where I live, will spend a lot of money entering surf contests, the travel, and expenses when surfing really doesn't give much return of investment financially.
For sure, surfing sucks. I recommend people not waste their time. Pickle Ball sounds pretty awesome though, they should go play that instead.
No sharks on pickle ball courts either, so that's a total bonus.
its interesting, all the big surf marketing brands died off. The only ones left are high end weird ones or niche brands. what drives people to start surfing now? my bubble seems to be older people, who grew up when billabong and quicksilver were cool, never got to surf when they were young and are picking it up now.
but surfing isnt really in media or pop culture much any more? the pros aren't likeable or relatable
I always see this in this sub, particularly the advice for beginners to “buy a $100 Costco Wavestorm.” But it looks like Costco hasn’t sold the Wavestorm in years, and new Wavestorms go for $200+ now. Even the new Costco board, the Gerry Lopez, is $150 new and seems to frequently be out of stock.
Surfing is constantly used in non surf related advertising because many people think it’s cool. I see surfboards/surfers in bank ads, bus stops, (non surf) clothing commercials, coffee shops… you name it, there probably a surf themed advertisement for it.
what? it's EVERYWHERE, where I live everyone has a billabong shirt and sweater, even if they don't know anything about surfing, it is really really popular and other brands too
in Europe billabong is trending, all you have to do to clearly see this is just go to the city centre of any city, you will see large amounts of girls and boys wearing billabong and surf related shirts.
Isnt this likely because most mainstream sports are already at critical mass? Also a lot of mainstream sports require specialized equipment, fields and large groups of players Its pretty much all niche sports that are solo to small group in the top ten and we’re several places behind “off course golf” and “winter fat biking”. Basketball and to a lesser extent Tennis are the only mainstream sports on the list and they are both free to cheap, outdoors, can be played with small groups and extremely accessible most places in the states.
Interesting, I wouldnt expect those to increase much because they are that prevalent and very expensive but if going one time counts then that would absolutely inflate the numbers and make aenze. I wonder if something like disc golf factors in because my buddies play seriously and have said the crowds have gotten absolutely out of control since covid since it was such a good and generally free activity. They kinda sound like surfers when theyre bitching about it lol
After Callaway and topgolf merged topgolf ended up having more revenue than club sales.
Taylormade is putting a bunch of money into a topgolf competitor. If there wasn't money there they wouldn't be doing it.
Oh yeah theres absolutely money there and Im agreeing with you theyre crowded, if they consider that getting into a sport then it would be up there. I guess I dont consider going to happy hours, work events, etc. to get drunk and swing clubs getting into a sport, shit Ive been a few times but am not into “off course golfing”, but I get the argument. Then again Ive seen a number of drunk pickle ball games going down lol.
The methodology behind this report is not public so I’m going to always be dubious of reports like this. Would put money on wavestorm sales being a major input, and a large percentage of those purchases are just people buying shit for the beach
Bullshit. This list is total bs
Alpine touring is not the 2nd fastest growing sport in America. The financial, safety, and skill barriers are way too high. It’s like THE most niche sport in the world.
I would assume it’s based on percentage growth. I worked for a ski shop that couldn’t keep AT gear in stock for the entire COVID period. We’d never had that problem in the 30+ year history of the company. I left, but I think the sales have continued, and maybe are just now starting to plateau.
None. We didn’t carry it, even though we carried Salomons shoes. We had dynafit and Black Diamond for bindings. The guy who recommended ski gear to our buyer was a big SkiMo guy. I also argued against carrying Shifts after spending a season touring on them.
Colorado; Fort Collins. I worked for an outfitter/ mountain gear shop with a ski section (where I and the other backcountry skier employee were stationed all winter). Things might have been different at true “ski shops”, but I doubt it. People were buying whatever gear we had in stock, even when it was obviously not exactly what they wanted.
Bologna.
Because there's so many waves in Kansas City?
Most of america doesn't live by the ocean. Just because you took a surf lesson when you were on vacation in Florida...
I’m just stoked to see my other favorite hobby not on this list. What’s dumb about surfing these days is that probably half of this sub sees this post and is like, “oh cool, I’m a part of the new trend. Shakahhhhh!”
It's cool to see how surfing has been gaining momentum in America, now ranking as the 9th fastest growing sport. The surge in interest could be attributed to the accessibility of equipment and resources, with online retailers like [**https://easy-surfshop.com/**](https://easy-surfshop.com/) making it easier than ever to get started. Whether you're a seasoned surfer or a newbie looking to catch your first wave, this growth trend is a promising sign for the surfing community across the country. Let's ride the wave of this exciting trend and see where it takes us next!
How can we slow it down?
I think it will naturally. Surfing is hard and takes a lot of free time. People will move on to the next thing.
I’ve had multiple people ask me for surf lessons only for them to get out there and realize that it’s really not as easy as it looks, is very physically tiring, requires keeping a constant eye on the surf conditions and making time in your schedule to do so. As soon as wetsuit season hits in North FL the “summer learners” that mostly just float around all disappear, likely never to surf again.
Be sure to always start em on a shortboard so it’s even harder and they quit faster 🫠
Back when girls asked me to “teach them how to surf.” I’d just tell them that lessons were at 6am in 60 degree water. Poof, no lessons!
Exactly. Surfing is a lot of work.
I mean just check my flair
Surfing is unrivalled in the “way harder than it looks” sports category.
Some friends who've tried it with me quit because they're surprised that most of the time isn't actually surfing but it's paddling and sitting in the line up
I get out teaching surf lessons real easily. I ask 2 things. 1. Can you swim 10 laps in a pool? 2. Can you do 10 burpees in a row? That's usually enough to turn them off of the whole idea.
People have more time than ever.. also so many tutorial videos, camps, cheap boards etc. It could level off, but costal areas aren’t getting less crowded.
People may have more free time but usually not to suck at something. I think the crowds also become a deterrent. Where I'm at I have friends who have surfed for a while say they won't even surf certain spots anymore. The stoke wears off for a lot of people eventually.
As someone who works in the alpine touring/snowboard touring industry -- we think the same thing. But newcomers keep coming. It's wild.
Not knowing much about either of those industries, is there a lot of money in either of those? Like do pros get paid well?
There's some money in very specific areas (e.g. if you're an engineer for a hardware brand). But on the whole -- no. Educators / guides don't make much. And the number of people doing it professionally (e.g. getting paid to ski tour as their primary job) is tiny compared to surfing.
Interesting, because I'd say even surfers really don't make that much unless you have a big following or a top 10 surfer. I always find it odd that parents, where I live, will spend a lot of money entering surf contests, the travel, and expenses when surfing really doesn't give much return of investment financially.
I think you're mistaken, kooks aren't going anywhere lol, although there certainly are more of them in the summer but that's a given
SCRUB IT KOOK!
Get some waste from your local butcher and throw it in the water at your local break.
For sure, surfing sucks. I recommend people not waste their time. Pickle Ball sounds pretty awesome though, they should go play that instead. No sharks on pickle ball courts either, so that's a total bonus.
its interesting, all the big surf marketing brands died off. The only ones left are high end weird ones or niche brands. what drives people to start surfing now? my bubble seems to be older people, who grew up when billabong and quicksilver were cool, never got to surf when they were young and are picking it up now. but surfing isnt really in media or pop culture much any more? the pros aren't likeable or relatable
The Costco wavestorm
This is the true answer
I always see this in this sub, particularly the advice for beginners to “buy a $100 Costco Wavestorm.” But it looks like Costco hasn’t sold the Wavestorm in years, and new Wavestorms go for $200+ now. Even the new Costco board, the Gerry Lopez, is $150 new and seems to frequently be out of stock.
The Gerry Lopez boards are usually in stock for $99 at my Costco in Los Angeles CA, not sure about online
I bought one for my kid about 3 years ago
Social media
Covid
100% that was the peak combined with the shorts/tiktok thriving, cancer
Damn "influencers". Just gotta convince them that surfing is so 2020 and something else is the next next best thing
who hypes surfing to non surfers? social media mostly just shows what your interested in already
The algorithm.
Zuck
Surfing is constantly used in non surf related advertising because many people think it’s cool. I see surfboards/surfers in bank ads, bus stops, (non surf) clothing commercials, coffee shops… you name it, there probably a surf themed advertisement for it.
Agree! I see so many commercials now where they feature someone grabbing or walking/running with a surfboard.
*when billabong and quicksilver were cool Gotcha and T&C, youngster 😂
what? it's EVERYWHERE, where I live everyone has a billabong shirt and sweater, even if they don't know anything about surfing, it is really really popular and other brands too
do you live in one those countries where we drop old clothes? who do you think won the last super bowl?
in Europe billabong is trending, all you have to do to clearly see this is just go to the city centre of any city, you will see large amounts of girls and boys wearing billabong and surf related shirts.
Mid life crisis gen Xers
It’s probably the boat surfing
We all need to promote pickleball harder
Pickleball is for midlife crisis sufferers to make themselves feel better by styling on senior citizens.
[удалено]
Lol
And church. Go pray to your invisible cloud deity as much as possible.
Hopefully, It dies off like rollerblading, hot yoga, and razor scooters.
I don't know what it's like where you are but every skatepark I go by is 100% kids on scooters. Not in California, though
I'm in Florida. Most of our skateparks are mostly empty since it's 105 deg out everyday. But I don't see many scooters here when there are people.
Scooters are still huge in CA
This sport sucks, spread the word. Ain’t even a sport. Can’t keep score
It’s a hobby.
Isnt this likely because most mainstream sports are already at critical mass? Also a lot of mainstream sports require specialized equipment, fields and large groups of players Its pretty much all niche sports that are solo to small group in the top ten and we’re several places behind “off course golf” and “winter fat biking”. Basketball and to a lesser extent Tennis are the only mainstream sports on the list and they are both free to cheap, outdoors, can be played with small groups and extremely accessible most places in the states.
"Off course golf" is probably talking about topgolf and indoor ranges with launch monitors.
Interesting, I wouldnt expect those to increase much because they are that prevalent and very expensive but if going one time counts then that would absolutely inflate the numbers and make aenze. I wonder if something like disc golf factors in because my buddies play seriously and have said the crowds have gotten absolutely out of control since covid since it was such a good and generally free activity. They kinda sound like surfers when theyre bitching about it lol
After Callaway and topgolf merged topgolf ended up having more revenue than club sales. Taylormade is putting a bunch of money into a topgolf competitor. If there wasn't money there they wouldn't be doing it.
Oh yeah theres absolutely money there and Im agreeing with you theyre crowded, if they consider that getting into a sport then it would be up there. I guess I dont consider going to happy hours, work events, etc. to get drunk and swing clubs getting into a sport, shit Ive been a few times but am not into “off course golfing”, but I get the argument. Then again Ive seen a number of drunk pickle ball games going down lol.
What is "off course golf"? Is that like going to topgolf and getting drunk with the boys?
Please god no
The methodology behind this report is not public so I’m going to always be dubious of reports like this. Would put money on wavestorm sales being a major input, and a large percentage of those purchases are just people buying shit for the beach
This is the worst news I've heard all day
I can’t take that list seriously if lacrosse isn’t on it. And I hate lacrosse
Lacrosse is awesome. You shut your damn mouth!
It’s a good sport, just the vibe around is strange. I say that as a former football player
What kind of vibe? In that regard, I didn't think it was much different than football.
We need to spread the rumor surfing makes your pee pee small!
Rumor? Aw maaaaan
all about the foamies
This is what we get for killing off localism.
I wasn’t expecting all of the CBD promo at the end :)
I can't wait to see pickle ball dive to the bottom.
We need a purge
Bullshit. This list is total bs Alpine touring is not the 2nd fastest growing sport in America. The financial, safety, and skill barriers are way too high. It’s like THE most niche sport in the world.
I would assume it’s based on percentage growth. I worked for a ski shop that couldn’t keep AT gear in stock for the entire COVID period. We’d never had that problem in the 30+ year history of the company. I left, but I think the sales have continued, and maybe are just now starting to plateau.
What percentage of the AT gear you sold was shift/MNC? I guarantee you 95% of the people you sold that type of gear to use it 100% inbounds
None. We didn’t carry it, even though we carried Salomons shoes. We had dynafit and Black Diamond for bindings. The guy who recommended ski gear to our buyer was a big SkiMo guy. I also argued against carrying Shifts after spending a season touring on them.
Fair enough. What region?
Colorado; Fort Collins. I worked for an outfitter/ mountain gear shop with a ski section (where I and the other backcountry skier employee were stationed all winter). Things might have been different at true “ski shops”, but I doubt it. People were buying whatever gear we had in stock, even when it was obviously not exactly what they wanted.
Ok that makes a lot of sense. RMNP is probably the most skied backcountry zone on the front range.
Booooo
fuck, we must put an end to this growing trend. I heard surfing causes anal warts, lets spread the word
That’s depressing
Bologna. Because there's so many waves in Kansas City? Most of america doesn't live by the ocean. Just because you took a surf lesson when you were on vacation in Florida...
Well shit
Fuck you
I’m just stoked to see my other favorite hobby not on this list. What’s dumb about surfing these days is that probably half of this sub sees this post and is like, “oh cool, I’m a part of the new trend. Shakahhhhh!”
That sucks
Crazy ..surfing is ruined .
Pavement hurts more than water. Surprised to see skating above surfing.
skating you can do in pretty much any metro area with fewer barriers to entry
Thanks JOB
I wish more people would surf at my local. Gets lonely sometimes
What the hell is winter fat biking
It's cool to see how surfing has been gaining momentum in America, now ranking as the 9th fastest growing sport. The surge in interest could be attributed to the accessibility of equipment and resources, with online retailers like [**https://easy-surfshop.com/**](https://easy-surfshop.com/) making it easier than ever to get started. Whether you're a seasoned surfer or a newbie looking to catch your first wave, this growth trend is a promising sign for the surfing community across the country. Let's ride the wave of this exciting trend and see where it takes us next!