From Cox's Bazar to Cloudbreak: This Week's Surf News Hit Different
Surf news doesn't get more inspiring than this. Sixteen-year-old Fatima Akhter from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh is chasing a dream that goes way beyond riding waves. Alongside 25-year-old Mohammad Mannan, Akhter is preparing for surfing's debut at the Asian Games in Japan this September. The moment she steps on a board, she said, 'I forget everything else' — a sentiment that hits hard when you consider the stigma she's had to overcome as a teenage girl in a Muslim-majority nation. 'When I successfully ride a wave, I feel happy and fulfilled,' she said. 'The feeling is impossible to describe.' Mannan, who used to sell seashell jewelry to support his family, refused to give up surfing despite his parents' wishes. He watches YouTube videos of John John Florence to refine his technique, proving that passion beats resources every time.
You can read the full story over at The Daily Star.
Over in Fiji, Maui's finest were turning Cloudbreak into their personal playground. Bernd Roediger claimed first place at the Fiji Surf Pro despite competing with a strained ACL and not windsurfing for over a month. His final score of 18.07 sealed the win, while Morgan Noireaux produced the highest-scoring single wave of the event (9.5 points) before inconsistent winds cost him a shot at the podium. France's Antoine Martin took second, and Australia's Jane Seman reclaimed the women's title she first won in 2022. Four rigs were destroyed and one competitor broke a foot — because apparently comfort is overrated.
Meanwhile, California's surf scene is getting a high-tech upgrade. Wavegarden just opened DSRT Surf in Coachella Valley, its second U.S. wave pool (the first is in Virginia Beach). The facility can produce 1,000 waves per hour with over 60 wave variations, including a dedicated aerial training wave and a barrel called the 'Twister.' Sessions start at just $60/hour — significantly cheaper than Palm Springs Surf Club's $100 minimum. Jacob 'Zeke' Szekely put it best: 'I never imagined I would be testing aerial waves in the middle of the desert.'
You can get the full details right here at The Inertia.
Whether it's a teen from Bangladesh proving that the ocean doesn't care about borders, Maui windsurfers bullying waves in Fiji, or a desert wave pool changing the training game — there's never been a better time to be part of this community. Grab your board, charge your camera, and get after it.
