Surfing hasn’t always been the most inclusive pastime, and anyone visiting this webpage can readily think of a few (dozen) reasons why. For one, the average lineup is a dangerous place even at its best, when most everyone in it more or less has a clue what they’re doing. At other places, take Waikīkī Beach, the birthplace of modern surfing, the scene can be bedlam even when everyone knows the score.
And so perhaps Waikīkī is just the place to beta-test a new way of getting people on boards. SurfUp, a Moniz Family Surf-backed startup, is renting surfboards via an app from unattended cages in four San Diego locations (three in Pacific Beach and one in Imperial Beach), and now in Hawai‘i at the Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa.
SurfUp founder and CEO Chris Hissom told KHON2 that the idea is to make surfing more accessible to all. “We’re excited to finally offer experienced and aspiring surfers a new way to rent,” he said, adding that “our goal has always been to inspire more beachgoers to try surfing. The water is for everyone to enjoy, and that means reaching people before surf shops open and offering an easier option for those who simply want to grab a board and get in the water.”
It’s easy to foresee a few problems. But perhaps the average(ish) jetsetting Joe might benefit all the same: someone passing through on a layover, say, with no board and no friend from whom to borrow one. To that end, the cages will double as gear lockers, letting traveling surfers stash their stuff safely while they tangle in the lineup, rather than leave it on the beach for sticky-fingered passersby.
Speaking of theft, what about liability? Beyond the question of whether first-timers should be encouraged to charge into a crowded lineup without so much as a crash course, there’s the company’s end of the bargain. Will every board make it back into its cage? How will damage be assessed in real time, so a renter who grabs a board with a missing fin or a buckled nose doesn’t get charged for someone else’s mishap?
Related: Innovative Hawaiian Surf Legend Larry Bertlemann Dies at 71
It’s a curious proposition, but the logistics of sharing physical assets are hardly insurmountable. Car-sharing and home-sharing businesses have shown that people will embrace convenient, self-service access to things they don’t own. Surfboards are a different proposition, of course: The real risk isn’t so much to the equipment as to the people sharing the water.
Still, let’s end on a hopeful note. Hawai‘i aside, are there not dozens of beach towns that could use similar rental stations, giving visitors the chance to surf on a whim, without the fuss of tracking down a shop or arranging a rental? As Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard once exhorted, “Let my people gp surfing.” And as those patently inclusive, surf-friendly Beach Boys once bellowed, “Let’s go surfin’ now./Everybody’s learnin’ how.” A Surfin’ Safari, indeed. Let’s all just cross our fingers that ambitious wave gliders heed the part about learnin’ how first.
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