Let’s face it: the only waves that pack a punch here are of the heat variety. But with world class breaks a short flight away in Bali, surely some of us are surfing? Since International Surfing Day (June 21) is just around the corner, we decided to ask the President of the Surfing Association of Singapore, Nazir Salleh, about the state of the scene here.
How’s the popularity of the sport these days?
We have seen a steady trend of young local Singaporeans and expats taking our surfing classes [and] can see that the sport will grow in years to come. We think that part of the interest has to do with the opening of Wavehouse Sentosa (see wavehousentosa. com for updates on future classes). That’s really a nice place to hang out and enjoy the artificial surf—the best we can have here.
What are some of the difficulties you face?
Surfing is not a mainstream sport here and this has been our biggest challenge. Having an association in a country where there is no surfing culture is never going to be easy. There is so much work to be done and funding seems to be our main problem. But we’re trying to start our own Singaporean Surfing league outside Singapore just for our local surfers in spots around the region.
What are your thoughts on the future of surfing here?
It’s growing, slowly but surely. We now have around 800 members on our Facebook page and that is a good sign. We have more events in the pipeline for locals and expats to come together and create a surfing contest for beginners and experienced surfers. Whether you’re young or old, surfing is a sport for everyone.
