The idea started in Australia and was launched in the UK in late 2013 - see the video https://vimeo.com/82476757
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The Surfing Spirit is alive and growing right around the world and Big Wave Surfing Pioneer, Ric Friar, reckons it's time to honour all that surfing has given us. Surfing is a bit like a religion for those who worship being 'at one
' with the waves. And for millions and millions of surfers around the world, this solitary connection with the sea is unlike any other experience on Earth. Historically, everywhere the 'surfing seeds' landed on a new shore, a new 'surfing tribe' was born. And, once infected with the thrill of being 'at one' with the waves, these 'devotees of the sea' passed the 'Spirit of Surfing' from one to another and down through the generations - from parent to child - as part of a continuing, centuries old tradition - tracing its roots all the way back to the South Pacific, where surfing was born and practiced as a 'high art' of being. The places where these 'surfing seeds' first landed and spread, in each new land, is like surfing's 'sacred ground'. So what else is there to do but to honour your nations surfing heritage by recognising the place in your surfing nation where the surfing seeds landed with the installation of a significant monument of celebration? By doing so, your nation automatically ensures it place on the International Surfing Pilgrim's Trail - a place where surfing and non-surfing enthusiasts will travel far and wide to visit and be photographed with. And through the establishment of the International Surfing Pilgrim's Trail, you will be part of helping to build and connect the vast diaspora of the world's surfing community into a single global community that celebrating all that surfing gives us in life. While every new surfing nation develops its own unique 'surfing culture' there is a package we have put together to help make the process of deciding upon and funding how your surfing nation wants to honour its surfing origins and traditions. It goes, without saying, that the more significant the monument, the more people will want to visit and be seen with it. For the local community, where the site is located, having such a monument is a 'year round' draw card for visitors and a boost to the local economy. All sorts of bridges will need to be crossed along the way - planning permissions, design criteria and ego's - but the one thing that makes all of this possible is your love of surfing and what it gives, your friends and family. Surfing is not just a sport. It's a way of living and experiencing life that keeps people enthusiastic and excited about living - from the very young - to the very old. Big waves, little waves, competition waves, fun waves, tube waves, short waves - whatever wave you're on. If you surf, you're on the trail.
