Santa Fe Surf Club turns two years old and dreams of popularizing this sport in Cuba

He Santa Fe Surf Club It is celebrating its two years of creation and wants to promote the development of this water sport in Cuba.

"We want to promote the surf so that Cuban children start doing this type of sport. The idea is that it reaches everyone and also develops in our country," said one of the founding surfers of the club, in an interview with National Television.

Among the main obstacles to the development of surfing in cuba There is a lack of implements. Is very expensive to get boards, fins, non-slip, paraffin and other essential items for practice.

The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) has said that it will pay attention to athletes, but the support is not noticeable.

Until 2021, the police removed surfers from the beaches, He forbade them from entering the sea and athletes could not represent Cuba in international events.

Currently the movement of people surf lovers in Cuba has grown. The island's surfers are asking INDER, once again, to make visible the opportunities to practice this sport on the country's beaches.

"He surfing is a passion, it is to live it," says one of the members of the Santa Fe Surf Club in Havana, which celebrates its second anniversary this year.

Not all Cuban beaches are conducive to surfing and good waves are not found in all seasons of the year. It's a sport that is closely related to the weather. It requires learning about the tides and respect for the limits that nature imposes on human beings.

The path of surfing in Cuba has been full of challenges. The pioneers of the sport on the island used to build their own boards with limited resources, often recycling available materials and adapting artisanal techniques to overcome the blockage to access to modern equipment.

Institutional recognition has been elusive and until recently, the practice of surfing was viewed with suspicion by the authorities, who did not see it as a legitimate sporting activity. However, the adventurous spirit of Cuban surfers has contributed to the creation of a community that defends their right to ride the waves as a form of expression and connection with the sea.

The Santa Fe Surf Club, in its efforts to popularize this sport, faces the challenge of changing perspectives, gaining support and building a future for surfing in today's Cuba, where the North Coast, in particular, offers quality waves during the winter season.