2 days ago
Small shores to continental waves: the making of Ramesh Budihal
On a sun-bleached morning, the swell had eased, but it still offered promising waves. Standing with the entire Indian team around him and the coach's final words in his ear, Ramesh Budihal looked calm. The surfer from Kovalam was about to paddle into the biggest moment of his career.
The air was thick with anticipation; the shore lined with spectators and teammates scanning the water. Flags fluttered in the warm breeze, the sound of waves mixing with bursts of cheers from the crowd. History had already been made — no Indian had ever reached the final of the Asian Surfing Championships (ASC) until now. But Budihal wasn't done yet.
The contest was fierce, with the swell demanding precision and patience. Despite a solid opening ride, a top-two finish was a difficult task, but a third place was very much in sight. In the dying moments of the final, he held his nerve and saw his last attempt through.
When the horn sounded, the scoreboard confirmed it — bronze for Budihal, behind South Korea's Kanoa Heejae and Indonesia's Pajar Ariyana. India had its first individual medal at the continental level.
For a sport where the largest waves and deepest resources lie far from Indian shores, a podium finish once felt like a pipe dream. But Budihal's journey, from sneaking out to surf as a boy to standing on the continental stage, marked the start of a new chapter in Indian surfing, and a moment he had been chasing for years.
The journey leading up to this historic moment began far away from the cheers of the crowd, on Kovalam's small beach in Kerala. Budihal's first contact with the sport came through the Kovalam Surf Club and the Sebastian Indian Social Project (SISP), a Belgian-run initiative that introduced surfing to underprivileged children.
'The ocean felt like home. But my family didn't see it that way at first. They thought it was dangerous and didn't know what the surfing future could hold. I even had to sneak out to surf,' he recalled.
Money was a constant challenge. Surfboards, wetsuits, and competition travel came with price tags far beyond what most young surfers could afford. 'There's no steady income from surfing here. Most of the athletes face financial problems.'
To fund his training, he gave lessons between practice sessions and received occasional sponsorships, including a Coca-Cola-backed Olympic promotion in 2024 — small boosts that kept his career afloat and his competitive edge sharp.
Against these odds, Budihal steadily built his game. He has been ranked in the top three of the National Surf Series for the last four years, and in 2024, he finished the season as India's No. 1 male surfer.
Victories at the Indian Open of Surfing and the Mahabs Point Break Challenge confirmed his dominance at home, while a strong showing at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games gave him vital experience against the sport's global heavyweights.
Yet, in a decision that still stings, he did not make the cut for the national team competing at last year's ASC in the Maldives.
'That hurt. I was really bummed about that, but it also motivated me. This year, I have worked on my goal,' he said.
With renewed determination, Budihal ramped up his preparation. A two-week-long training with the 12-member Indian team in Mamallapuram helped him get ready for the challenge. Competing against some of the Asian surfing heavyweights was not going to be easy.
'Even if there are no waves, you have to train,' he said. 'No matter what, you have to prepare mentally and physically. It could be the same in an event, you never know.'
That mindset, he believes, made the difference when the pressure peaked in Mamallapuram, not only during the final but throughout the seven days of action.
A local hero in the national scene had announced himself on the continental stage. And for the proud Indian team coach, Samai Reboul, it was an achievement bound to happen. 'The game plan with Ramesh was very simple: show your surfing,' said Reboul.
The Aurovillian, a familiar face along the Indian coasts for more than 30 years, was always confident of his surfer's skills. 'It was just about him showing his surfing, which he is very capable of. He had to remove the pressure and free himself. I'm very proud because he actually did,' said Reboul.
Team effort
Budihal's great run lit up the week for the rest of the squad, who had already been pushing deeper into heats than before.
As the final qualifier for the Asian Games 2026, the contingent arrived knowing every heat could make a difference.
Two semifinalists, several into the quarterfinals, and most reaching Round 3 made for one of India's best continental showings. For coach Reboul, it was the payoff for months of preparation. 'I'm very proud of the Indian team. It was quite a bit of hard work, but everyone did really well and contributed to the results that we got,' he said.
Reboul was always optimistic about his unit's chances. Before the tournament began, if one were to ask him whether India could win a bronze medal, '100 per cent yes. I know what these kids are capable of. There are medals and whatnot, but the main goal here was to get quotas for the Asian Games,' he remarked.
For India, the ASC marked a major turnaround in the sport's trajectory and the country's stance as a surfing nation. But the focus now shifts to the upcoming Asiad, where surfing is set to make its debut only a handful of years after its first Olympic appearance.
'We are at a very good stage in Indian surfing, and Asia is watching us. It's a lot of work, but we'd love to have a medal in the Asian Games,' Arun Vasu, president of the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), told The Hindu.
Budihal's medal all but assures India of additional quotas for the multi-sport event scheduled to take place in Japan.
Perhaps accomplishing an 'out-of-reach' target for Indian surfing had a lot to do with surfers' luck and home advantage, but it took Budihal's composure and years of persistence to turn it into something lasting.
His groundbreaking milestone has redrawn the boundaries of what was possible for Indian surfing, and the future now points toward the Asian Games — a bigger stage and a bigger test, waiting beyond the break.
