Local surfing unaffected by beach closures

Jamaica Surfing Association (JSA) President Billy Wilmot says the constant closing of the beaches because of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected local surfing competitions and the operations of the association.

Wilmot says the main event affected is the Makka Pro Surf Contest as the closing of the Bob Marley Beach means the competition will not take place for the first time in 14 years.

The event is the largest surf contest in the English-speaking Caribbean as it attracts many local and international surfers and over 20,000 patrons over the two-day event.

“The main impact would be that the professional surfers lose out on an opportunity to compete for a sizable amount of cash rewards and prizes,” Wilmot said.

He said the cancellation of the event is also a disappointment for the spectators as this was a major calendar event.

JSA have however parted ways with such competitive events because they now operate under the guidelines of the Jamaica Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee.

“It (the guidelines) states that the national governing body is not supposed to support professional event and so the JSA has stepped back from hosting the Makka Pro and only hosting developmental and local events to establish a national ranking for local amateur surfers,” Wilmot said.

YOUTH WORKSHOPS

This was going to happen regardless of the pandemic.

Wilmot says the pandemic has caused the JSA to communicate mostly online but it has put measures in place to help manage the situation.

“The JSA provides workshops,” he said. “We have youth development programmes, we have a training app that people can log on to maintain their training. “The pandemic has affected us as it has affected everyone, but I think that we are dealing with it effectively.”

Wilmot said while the pandemic has been affecting competitions and operations, it has not really affected the training of surfers as it is the registered beaches that have been ordered closed.

“Contrary to popular belief, surfing does not take place at the nation’s registered beaches,” he said. “Most of the surfing locations are nondescript areas around the coastline.

“In terms of the surfers and them pursuing their training – the national Olympic team and their individual training – as normal they can continue their training (because) most of the surfers live along the coastlines.”

He said that they have not been in breach of the protocols because no more than 10 surfers train at a time and the nature of the sport causes the surfers to be more than six feet apart.

Jamaica’s surfers are still seeking to qualify in one of eight spots for the Olympic Games next year, through the World Surfing Games and Pan American Surfing Games.

Sharla Williams