‘The ocean doesn’t care what color I am’: Black US surfers reclaim the waters

As a new documentary illuminates surfing's African roots, Black people revive their sacred connection to the sport

Over the summer, around 150 people gathered with surfboards at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz, California, for a paddle out. Under the midday sun, dedicated surf enthusiasts, novices and those who'd just picked up a board for the first time entered the water.

The paddle out - an event where people gather in the ocean on surfboards to honour the life of a deceased person - was organised by Black Surf Santa Cruz, a nonprofit providing no-cost surf lessons to Bipoc residents intending to get them confident in the water. For the last four years, the paddle out has taken place to commemorate the death of George Floyd, A Black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020, setting off global protests. The event encouraged a sense of community and served as an introduction to a sport - and a culture - that many Bipoc say they have felt estranged from.