Surf Summit 2022 in Hossegor

Surf Summit 2022 in Hossegor

Where the European surf industry gets together

The original plan was to watch the Quiksilver Pro France 2022 – until that was canceled by the WSL. Charlie still went to Hossegor. Her flights were booked after all.

She had signed up to the surf photography website My-sessions.com some time ago and the information came via their newsletter shortly before she went to Hossegor in October 2022: There was a Surf Summit on 13th and 14th October 2022 and Charlie liked what she saw on the agenda.

The Surf Summit is a yearly conference in Hossegor organized by EuroSIMA. It took place at the Sporting Casino Hossegor. The website to register at was mostly in French whereas the agenda was partly French and partly English. Charlie wasn’t sure in which language the talks would be. As it turned out, there were some talks in English and some in French with simultaneous translation. Those who needed it could get headphones at the entrance to listen to the translation. Most conference attendees spoke French which was a good opportunity for Charlie to practice her skills after not having spoken that language for quite some time.

Meeting some big names in watersports

The talks at the Surf Summit were a mix of market research, scientific topics, and experience sharing of athletes and some big names in the industry, amongst them Maurice Cole, Mike Stewart, and Arthur Guerin-Boëri.

Maurice Cole

The well-known surfer and shaper was born and raised in Australia. He had his first experience on a surfboard in the 1960s and he remembered during his talk how he cycled down to the beach every day with his longboard. Back in those days, there were no racks for bikes, and he described how the sides of the board wore off by being dragged along the road. It was the beginning of a great career as a shaper, even though this first pintail was shaped by coincidence.

Maurice’s talk at the Surf Summit was planned for 45 minutes but lasted twice as long. There are too many stories to tell if you’re nearly 70. He talked about important milestones in his career as a surfer and remembers how he got paid as a shaper for the first time. He earned 25 Dollars per board and was at that time the highest-paid shaper in the world. Unbelievable if you’re looking at the cost of a surfboard in 2022.

Hossegor is a special place for Maurice where he lived for 15 years in the 80s and 90s. He smiled when he talked about his first time surfing at La Gravière and what a special moment that first barrel ride was for the local surfers too.

He also remembers how he met the three-time world champion Tom Curren, and how he became his shaper, and shared some stories that happened on the tour.

Maurice Cole does not make it a secret that there have been some dark times, starting with his involvement in drug trafficking in Indonesia (something that was expected but completely left out in the movie The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez), years in jail, money and the changes that came to the surf industry, beating cancer and depression.

The audience rewarded him with a standing ovation for his remarks about surf companies losing their status as surf companies the moment they enter the stock exchange. According to Maurice, the future of the industry and the thing that will bring the original surf culture back to life lies in local boutique businesses.

Mike Stewart

The nine-time world champion in bodyboarding, Mike Stewart, shared some of his footage and research about how the energy moves in waves. After a few decades in the water, he wanted to know more about waves and how to make better use of the energy. He partnered with physicists from the MIT. He filmed the movement of the waves with a GoPro and later analyzed it in detail.

He provided tips on how to use hollow barrels for duck diving and explained the physics behind the movement of waves in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

The audience asked the experienced wave rider about his opinion on wave pools and he simply described Kelly Slater’s surf ranch as a “weird” wave. The difference in density in fresh and saltwater makes it different. He describes how this wave gives the feeling of pulling instead of pushing which makes it difficult to stay in front. He is impressed that the builders of wave pools are trying to exceed natural phenomena, but he is also convinced that this has not been achieved yet.

Mike Stewart at the Surf Summit in Hossegor, October 2022

Arthur Guerin-Boëri

Another watersports man, but not a surfer, spoke at the Surf Summit. The free diver Arthur Guerin-Boëri talked about his experience of diving in arctic ice, how he prepared for it and the medical advice he was given before he went into ice cold water. He also talked about the flow state that surfers know all too well and that was a central aspect of surfing in the movie Undercurrents. Arthur Guerin-Boëri also provided a breathing workshop on the Friday morning of the conference. Charlie didn’t participate, but she heard that it was a great experience for the other attendees.

Innovative products

A big part of the Surf Summit 2022 was an exhibit of innovative surf products and as Charlie was walking through the stalls, there were two very obvious topics: digitization and sustainability in the form of apps to plan or book surf lessons and environmentally friendly surfboards and wetsuits.

Sea Locker

One of the products shown in the exhibition was Charlie’s clear favourite and also won the prize at the Surf Summit: Sea Locker. Imagine a world where you wouldn’t have to worry about how to get your surfboard from one place to the next, where you can rent a high-quality performance board on the beach without having to watch opening hours of surf hire shops and no need to carry the board across town to your accommodation. That’s what Sea Locker is doing. There’s a locker on the beach where you can get the board you’ve booked via the app. You upload a picture of all sides of the board upon pick up, you can leave your valuables in the locker and simply enjoy the surf. After your sessions, the locker opens with a microchip inside the board. There’s no need for a key either.

For surfers, the cost is the same as any surf rental and there is an option to buy the board after a test ride. Businesses have the option to install the locker where they want it to be and simply pay a hire fee for a four-year period.

Nicolas Farolfi of Sea Locker and Franck of EuroSIMA at the surf summit in Hossegor 2022

Trashboard

This product sparked Charlie’s interest due to her own interest in skating and surf skating. It is a skateboard made of cardboard. This might sound very unstable, but it is not. When you feel the board, it feels exactly like one made of wood and standing on it feels equally stable. The cardboard used for it, can be in little pieces as it is sliced up and then realigned the inverse way. Any piece of cardboard that would otherwise go to the bin, can be used for this.

Trashboard at the Surf Summit in Hossegor, October 2022

Sim Wax

Similar to The Good Wax Co, Sim Wax is made of beeswax and some other natural ingredients that the inventor Simon is keeping a secret. Charlie had a long chat with him about the environmental impact and how we all can contribute a little something. The Sim Wax is sold in a shop in Hossegor and not shipped internationally.

Spotyride

One of the apps that was presented at the exhibit that Charlie considers useful for herself is Spotyride. Surf schools can get listed in the app and surfers can find a school and book directly via the app. There is still a lack of digital presence for surf schools and the only option for newbie surfers to book their lessons is often a walk along the beach to talk to the surf school directly. A centralized online booking system would make trip planning a lot easier. The app is free to use for surfers, surf schools pay a fee to be listed. At the moment, Spotyride is still a bit limited as not all surf schools had a chance yet to sign up, but you should give it a try on your next surf trip.

Woody Van

Everybody remembers the iconic VW van that has become the symbol of the surf lifestyle. Woody Van is bringing this back with a modern and fully equipped van to rent. They have really thought of everything: The front seats are turning backward to create a lounge feeling, there’s a cooker, power plugs, a heating system, and even a shower. That’s how a trip in a van turns into a luxury holiday.

Woody Wan at the Surf Summit in Hossegor, October 2022

Interesting talks

The Surf Summit in Hossegor was not only about stories by great sportsmen and innovative products, it also was about the state of the industry in general. As such, there were talks to analyze current market trends and challenges.

The focus market was the UK for the surf summit in 2022. Tom Copsey, Product Manager for O’Neill Wetsuits, Sean Harris, Rip Curl European Sales Manager, and Richie Jones, CEO and Managing Director of VVAST talked in the panel about the state of the surf industry in the UK. Moderator Wilco Prins guided the conversation heavily into the direction of Brexit, almost as if there was no other topic. All that came out of the discussion though was that there is a lot of uncertainty after Covid and Brexit.

David Salas y Melia, climatologist, Meteorologist, and Head of Research at CNRM & Météo France, presented in his talk “The Climate Emergency” the newest research on global warming and its impact. His figures and graphs have shown once more that things need to change if we want to stop the melting of the polar ice. Members of the surf industry look at it in a positive way with innovative products and even dare a little joke. One member of the audience asked whether an increase in water levels would lead to more waves. The answer by David Salas y Melia was a clear “yes”, however only in the Antarctic.

Whether you want to put on those additional layers of neoprene was made questionable by Gabe Davies of Patagonia. He talked about the dark secret of surfing. Nearly all wetsuits have gone through a place called “cancer alley” in Louisiana at some point. The chloroprene factory there contributes to high cancer rates in this area.

Following the talk, Charlie had a conversation with Oliver Spies of Langbrett who found ways to recycle old neoprene. Charlie will write about this on another occasion. Stay tuned!

Bringing it all together

The Surf Summit was highly informative, the perfect networking opportunity, and also food and drinks were provided from the morning till the evening. After the first day, there was an Apéro in French style, at the hotel 70 Hectares & l’Océan in Seignosse. The second day finished at the bar inside the conference venue. Charlie didn’t stay late because she also wanted to check out the skate event for the Quiksilver No Pro in Hossegor.

If you want to get the best summary of all the talks and presentations of the Surf Summit, sketch artist Alexandra Pister brought it all on paper with her live sketching: