Mantra Beach Clean-up September 2019

Mantra Beach Clean-up September 2019

The event “Mantra Beach Clean-Up” was a major success with almost 150 students and adults from colleges and institutions nearby. The event was organized by Surfing Swami Foundation in association with Mantra Surf Club to promote Beach cleanliness & Ocean Awareness among the youth.

The Cleanup started at 7.00 AM as students from Alva’s college & St.Aloysius college came in early to pick up the trash and we briefed them about How this trash ends up here on the Beach, How to segregate them into Recyclable waste of Glass, Rubber &

Plastic and Why we should be more aware of where we dispose of our daily waste. 

It was amazing to watch everyone from Students to adults and even small kids picking up the trash and cleaning up our environment. After three hours of picking & separating, we had successfully cleaned the beach and disposed of the trash to Recycling. Everybody had a sense of contribution to a Social cause and a feeling of satisfaction when they were returning from the beach. There was also a Surfing demonstration in the waters where surfers were catching waves and encouraging people to learn this exciting sport of Surfing and becoming comfortable with the ocean. The Clean-up was embraced & cheered by many local people around Mulki. 

This event was made possible by our Sponsors ORB energy, Shakti Enterprises & Kalbavi Cashews without whom, executing on this Social cause would not be possible. We would also like to thank our special guests Prakash Kalbavi from Kalbavi cashews, Mr. Sudhakar (Panchayat, Vice president, Hejamady), Mr.Yatish Baikampady (CEO of Panambur beach tourism development project), Mr. Gaurav Hegde & Satya Shamanth Kumar (Directors of Surfing Swami Foundation), and Mr. Kiran. Kumar from Mantra Surf Club for their constant support. 

The aim of the event was to keep our environments clean & bring awareness to the Local people regarding Ocean awareness & Waste management. We thank Team Mantra & Surfing swami foundation for their constant support. Surfing Swami Foundation plans to continue hosting such monthly events to protect its pristine beaches along the coastline of Karnataka. 

We heart-fully extend our gratitude to all the students/teachers of 

St. Aloysius college & Alvas college, all the volunteers who turned up and especially Mantra Surf Club for their constant support. 

Surfing Swami Foundation boys at Covelong Point Surf Festival, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Surfing Swami Foundation boys at Covelong Point Surf Festival, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

The Surfing Swami Foundation had handpicked the potential surfer kids during the “Mantra Grom Search” for further training. They were trained and closely monitored by Mantra Surf Club in Mulki, The aim of this training was to help them progress under the supervision of surfing coaches for competitions. Coaches helped these kids set their goals and help them understand the Judging criteria.

Finally, the time has come and the boys were thrilled when they got the news that they will be participating in the annual National Surfing Competition. This was their dream come true for them. All the time they had put in for training, traveling up and down to Mulki, and balancing their education, family, and poverty was not easy.

Covelong Point Surfing Competition

Covelong point festival was a great learning experience for all of our boys. It didn’t matter if they won or lost. Our aim was to give them exposure to competing in the big leagues. Surfing against some of the best surfers in the country. This was the opportunity that they had been waiting for. They kept the Surf spirit high and would always wake up early for the sunrise practice session. They would Read the waves and current, Discuss new maneuvers, fine-tune the turns & everyone was always keen on observing and learning new tricks & skills.

The stand out performance was from little guy Subramani, who made it to the semi-finals of the U16 category. Subramani recalls “This is one of my best days so far. The local competitors did not make it easy. I learned a lot from this competition. I will train harder for next year and will finish on the podium” says Subramani with a little cheeky smile.

Overall, They gave a tough competition to all the participants and really put their skills to test at Kovalam. It was a sight to watch all the boys cheer each other on. They proved to us that no matter what the results are, they will give their best in the process to get there. In the end, it’s all about putting your feet back on the ground and starting again.

The boys also tried their hand at weight lifting and CrossFit sessions at CultFit, at the festival & won goodies & t-shirts from Cult-fit & GoPro.

Supporters

This wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support from all quarters.

On behalf of Surfing Swami Foundation, We want to take this opportunity to thank Mantra Surf Club, for their help in coaching these kids for free, and each and everyone who have supported through their financial contribution. Gaurav Hedge, Shaili Seth, Deekshit Rai, and Henry Britto.

Mantra Grom Search 2019

Mantra Grom Search 2019

The purpose of this event has always been to identify and nurture talented young surfers under the guidance of Surfing Swami Foundation. Mantra Grom Search’ 2019 was the second edition of Grom Search here in Panambur Beach, Mangalore. About 24 kids from various parts of Mulki, Mangalore & Panambur participated under the age categories of 13 and 16. The event was organised by Surfing Swami Foundation to promote Surfing & Ocean awareness among the youth.

This surfing competition had one of the best conditions for Kids who had to contest in 2-3 ft waves, high tides, and currents. Many kids showed drastic improvement in techniques and performance compared to last year. For many, it was their first time participating in a Surf contest.

M Selvam was crowned as ‘Grom of the year’ & was presented with the FireWire Seaside Machado series Board. Mr Shamanth, director of Surfing Swami Foundation said that this was based on his year-round performance in consistently raising the standard. He constantly put in the time and effort to Surf as well as learn the discipline required to excel in the field. It gives them the confidence to try new things and push their boundaries. Sanvi, being the youngest of them all, at 9 years of age swiftly rides waves thrice her size. It was pure joy to watch her best performance to date. Naman bagged the first place in under 13 category this year & has been assisting kids here in Surf techniques & how to repair a Surfboard. Chirali’s performance was surely a level up than her previous ones. She approached the waves fearlessly & effortlessly rode the waves till the end.

These kids are growing up in difficult situations. By providing them with a safe and empowering environment, the Surfing Swami foundation along with Mantra Surf Club wants to give them a better life. By protecting the Ocean, Growing the Sport and giving them the exposure to making a living by Surfing. All the kids here love the Surf life & many of them aspire to grow as Professional surfers as well!

Grom Search is not just about getting the kids into a healthy active lifestyle, but also about improving their character, their family situations and help them grow through Surfing & other Water sports. These events Empower the kids to bring a positive change in their lives & the people around them.

This year saw a change in the approach of young Groms towards leadership and taking responsibility for our environment. Everyone was cheering each other and the spirit of sportsmanship was  clearly visible when they forgot about the competition and were just having fun. Even though there exists a vibe of pressure in any competition, we were glad to see many of them pushing each other to do their best & just have a good time.

We know for a fact, if we teach them to be curious towards learning, then it will take them a long way in Life. We hope that through events like these we can empower them and other kids in India to embrace the adventure lifestyle and take care of our Oceans.

The event was embraced & cheered by many local people around Mangalore. Some of our Special guests included Sasikant Senthil (DC-Mangalore), DCP Laxmi Ganesh, ACP Srinivas Gowda, Rammohan Pai (former President of KCCI , Mangalore), Yatish Baikampady (CEO of Panambur beach tourism development project), Gaurav Hegde (Director of Surfing Swami Foundation) & Henry Britto who inaugurated the event and flagged the rounds. Mr Sasikant Senthil who distributed the prizes for the winners said: “I am quite impressed by the kids’ performance and I wish these children grow in this sport and represent Nationally & Internationally in the future.”

We heart-fully extend our gratitude to Mantra Surf Club for their support. Also, we would like to thank FireWire Surfboards, Adventure Worx & Thundermonkey Surf Gear who sponsored merchandise for all winners of the competition.

Here is a list of our best performers:


Under 16 Boys 
1st Place – Selvam
2nd Place – Praveen
3rd Place – Subbu


Under 13 Boys 
1st Place – Naman
2nd Place – Akash
3rd Place – Prakash


Girls Open 
1st Place – Chirali
2nd Place – Akhila
3rd Place – Sanvi

Although, these are the ones who bagged the prizes, all the participants performed to their best of abilities and had a great time.

As the saying goes, “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.

Mantra Beach Cleanup – November 2018

Mantra Beach Cleanup – November 2018

Surfing Swami Foundation organized a massive beach clean-up for the second time this year post-monsoons to clean up the pristine beaches of Hejamady & Mulki where Mantra Surf Club has popularised the sport of surfing over a decade now. 
A total of 300 volunteers gathered for the beach clean-up campaign which included mostly college students from Alva’s College, Manipal Dental College, Mulki Scouts and Guides and members of various organizations i.e Mangalore Bicycle Club, Thyme Family Restaurant
The volunteers assembled early in the morning at around 7:00 AM at Mantra Surf Club, who were ferried across the river on boats to the beach where they were briefed about the collection and segregation of waste materials. Various wastes were carefully segregated into plastics, glass bottles, rubber and bio-degradable wastes which were later transported in plastic bags to waste treatment plant
The occasion was graced by Mr. Sasikanth Senthil.S, Deputy Commissioner of  Dakshina Kannada and Saurabh Dubey, Joint Commissioner, Income Tax Department of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. They lauded the effort put in by all the organizers, students and Mantra Surf Club which has been actively involved in the beach clean up programs for over a decade now. They also spoke about the necessity of regular beach clean up programs and long-term solution to waste disposal.
Surfing Swami Foundation is determined to continue playing a major role in the beach clean up programs and initiatives with Government agencies, private organizations and corporate bodies to free Karnataka coastline of plastics. Although Surfing Swami [Jack Hebner] wasn’t there with us today he was there in spirits and it’s always been his wish to see our pristine coastline free of plastic and other wastes.
Surfing Swami Foundation would also like to thank our sponsors Yakshi Communications, Mantra Surf Club and Manipal Dental College for graciously contributing towards the cleanup campaign.
Surfing Swami Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, nurturing and empowering young underprivileged boys & girls from coastal villages with surfing being one of the key proponents. Ocean conservation and awareness programs are also some of the initiatives taken up by Surfing Swami Foundation
Mantra Surf Club is India’s first and premiere surfing club dedicated to pastimes of surfing and other water sports activities. Members of the Mantra Surf Club are passionate about surfing, ocean conservation, and community development. 
Mantra Beach Clean Up – September 2018

Mantra Beach Clean Up – September 2018

Surfing Swami Foundation organized a massive annual beach clean-up and awareness program in association with Mantra Surf Club.

A total of 80 volunteers gathered for the beach clean up which included young students, enthusiastic locals, volunteers from South Africa, Austria, and members of Mantra Surf Club. The volunteers assembled early in the morning at around 7:00 AM at Mantra Surf Club and continued beach clean up until 9:30 AM. Over 100 bags of various wastes were carefully segregated into plastics, glass bottles, rubber and bio-degradable wastes which were later transported in plastic bags to waste treatment plant.

Mr. Saurabh Dubey, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, Mangalore, Mr. Yatish Baikampady, CEO, Panambur Beach Development Authority,  and Mr. Gaurav Hegde, Secretary, Kanara Small Industries Association headed the beach clean-up program today. They also spoke about the necessity of regular beach clean up programs and long-term solution to waste disposal.

Surfing Swami Foundation is determined to play a major role in educating and supporting these initiatives with Government agencies, private organizations and corporate bodies.

Although Surfing Swami [Jack Hebner] wasn’t there with us today due to his travel schedule he was there in spirits and His brother Jefferson Carr (Goswami) represented Surfing Swami and carried the same spirit in inspiring an motivating us.


Surfing Swami Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, nurturing and empowering young underprivileged boys & girls from coastal villages with surfing being one of the key proponents. Ocean conservation and awareness programs are also some of the initiatives taken up by Surfing Swami Foundation

Mantra Surf Club is India’s first and premiere surfing club dedicated to pastimes of surfing and other water sports activities. Members of Mantra Surf Club are passionate about surfing, ocean conservation, and community development.