The Sport Of Surfing In America Is More Diverse Than It's Ever Been

New study finds that 40 percent of surfers in the U.S. made up of people of color, while 35 percent of all surfers are now women.

Brent Bielmann / WSL

The sport and culture of surfing is more diverse than it’s ever been. Today, nearly 40 percent of surfers in the United States are comprised of people of color, while women now make up 35 percent of the total surfing population. The new study, "Diversity In Surfing," released by the Surf Industry Manufacturer’s Association (SIMA), with research from ActionWatch, has revealed that efforts to make surfing more diverse and inclusive are, in fact, paying off.

The African American surfing population has seen the largest growth over the last three to five years. Representing nearly 12 percent of the American surfing population today, African Americans boast the largest number of “casual” surfers (defined as someone that surfed less than eight over the course of the year) in the country. Since 2014, the number of African American surfers has increased 50 percent, climbing from 211,749 surfers a decade ago to 423,352 today.

The Hispanic community has also been hitting the beach more often. Making up almost 19 percent of the total U.S. surfing population, 10 years ago there were reportedly 329,929 Hispanic surfers versus 685,799 today. Meanwhile, the number of Asian/Pacific Island surfers make up 8 percent of U.S. surfers. Their numbers have increased 20 percent over the last five years.

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In terms of gender makeup in American lineups, women continue to take to the sport and now make up 35 percent of all surfers. One thing that’s interesting to note is there appears to be more ethnic diversity amongst the female surfers. The study found that 53 percent of the female surfers are Caucasian versus 69 percent of males (Caucasian males make up 61 percent of the U.S. surfing population). In terms of composition, 24 percent of female surfers are Hispanic compared to 16 percent of males, and 13 percent were Black/African American while only 11 percent of males.

“SIMA’s “Diversity in Surfing” report will demonstrate that close to a million new people have discovered surfing over the past five years, many of whom are people of color,” explains SIMA President Vipe Desai. “Diversity is the driving force behind the increase in numbers of core participants in surfing, which will fuel growth in our industry, and it’s important to note there’s no single silver bullet— rather, it’s a collective effort, as you’ll read in this report.”

There are a number of factors that have contributed to the diversification of surfing in the U.S. From the surf industry making it a priority to be more inclusive in their hiring practices, to new brands owned and operated by people of color and women, economics play a role. Competitive bodies like the Olympics, the WSL and ISA elevating programs and events around the world to bring new faces into the water also play a role. There’s also been a proliferation of non-profits and community-based organizations doing grassroots work in communities around the country.

For example, Jack’s Surfboards in Southern California has a staff of 75 people. Of those employees, 54 percent are females and 46 percent are males. While half of these employees are Caucasian, 27 percent are Hispanic/Latino and 9 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander. Or there’s the Textured Waves organization, an all-female, African-American-led surf collective promoting diversity and inclusion in surf lineups. The ISA has long run a successful scholarship program, while the WSL has leaned into programs like the "Rising Tide" program for aspiring young girls.

As the results of this study indicate, there’s never been a better time to be a surfer, no matter who you are or where you come from. 

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