On The Crest Of A Wave

Source: Jordan Dozzi

As Nasima slowly walked out into the sea, surfboard in hand, there were stares aplenty from all the vacationers as they adjusted to the curious sight of a young girl nonchalantly wading towards the angry waves as if it were nothing. Later, as she reemerges from the waters dripping wet and smiling broadly, she tells us that these stares have become a part and parcel of her life out on the beach.

Source: Jordan Dozzi

Now 17, Nasima has been surfing for over six years. Her prodigious ability at riding the waves was apparent even when she was just a little girl of 12 still selling seashells by the beach. Since then, it's been one obstacle after another but the surfboard has remained a constant. “People still look at me and tell me things like- you are a girl. You shouldn't be out there surfing, it's not for you. But I've stuck to it because I love doing it and I have to thank my family for always supporting my dreams of one day becoming an internationally recognised surfer.”
But it's not just about surfing or chasing waves on the beach. The beginning of this decade has seen a rising awareness about our sea-beach and the lifestyle of the people there. Surfing is just a small, but nonetheless integral, part of it. Nasima is one of many members of Surfing Tigers, the Cox's Bazaar Life Saving & Surfing Club. It started off in 2010 with 9 local surfers and since then, their membership has grown to include many other girls like Nasima. The Surfing Tigers have members who have been trained by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from the UK. They've received lifeguard training and training on first aid and CPR. According to their president Shahadat Hosen, “We've grown up here and it's only normal that we try and give something back to the sea. Every day we patrol the beach to make sure that there everyone remains safe while enjoying themselves on the beach. We have also given lifeguard training to lifeguards from Robi and other such enterprises.”
 It's a source of pride for us to see the local lads working so hard to encourage both sport and awareness around the sea, breaking several social stigmas along the way. One would hope they get all the assistance possible to carry on with their endeavour.