Soul & Surf have been offering surfing, yoga and sunshine food in special places such as India, Sri Lanka, Peru and Portugal for over a decade. An alternative to the pile ‘em high sell ’em cheap surf camps, they have moulded a soulful approach to delivering feel good holidays. And now they have gone a step further, by joining forces with long time surf coach and yoga instructor Nat Fox, now an MSc sustainability graduate. Nat’s research focusses on marine social-ecological systems, specifically the intersection of surfing and ocean literacy, and in other words, the convergence zone of soul and surf.
Together, they are paving the way for the surf industry to incorporate essential elements of ocean literacy, with Soul & Surf currently rolling out their new educational platform: The Soul of Surfing (which fits into their new Sustainable-ish plan and SDG 14 targets). Soul & Surf guests have a unique access point to a deeper understanding of the ocean, of surf ecosystems and of waves – and the human induced threats that are impacting them. This immersion means that guests not only learn how to surf but they learn how to become ocean literate surfers.
“In 2009, I was landlocked and lost, and came across footage of the Grindatrapt in the Faroe Islands. It changed everything… starting with my perspective and I knew the ocean was a lifelong love, something I actively needed to be close to and protect. I promptly returned to surf coaching in Morocco, joined Surfers for Cetaceans and began a wild journey of inquiry with Sea Shepherd, into the issues affecting our global ocean, which culminated with eXXpedition Leg 1 in 2019. Soul & Surf were always there for me along that winding (salty) road and after completing a Masters in Sustainability in 2020, they jumped on board to be my first sustainability clients. We dove into how we could incorporate SDG14 and ocean literacy into the retreats that Soul & Surf offer. “The Convergence Zone” portrays where we are coming from and where we are heading towards with The Soul of Surfing programme. When Soul & Surf guests roll through they have a unique access point to a deeper understanding of the ocean, of surf ecosystems and of waves – and the human induced threats that are impacting them – as well as an opportunity to tune into the intricate connection to nature surfers feel. This immersion means that they not only learn how to surf but they learn how to become ocean literate surfers.”
