India's top surfers make strong start at NMPA Indian Open of Surfing 2026

Mangaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 29 : The seventh edition of the NMPA Indian Open of Surfing got underway at the Blue Bay Tannirbhavi Eco Beach in Mangaluru on Friday, with surfers from across the country taking to the waves on the opening day of one of India's premier surfing competitions.
Serving as a key stop in the National Championship Series and an important event in India's Asian Games selection cycle, the championship began under excellent surfing conditions, with clean waves and favourable weather providing the perfect stage for the country's top surfers, as per a press release from the Surfing Federation of India (SFI).
In the Women's Open category, Kamali Moorthy, Sugar Shanthi Banarse, Ishita Malaviya, Devi Ramanathan, Saanvi Hegde and Shrishti Selvam advanced to the semi-finals, scheduled for the final day of the championship.
Earlier in the day, the event was formally inaugurated with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony attended by Abhayachandra Jain, Former Minister for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, Karnataka Government; Darshan HV, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate, Dakshina Kannada; Dilip Kumar, Deputy Director of Tourism, Dakshina Kannada; Pradeep D'Souza, Deputy Director, Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Dakshina Kannada; Rammohan Paranjape, Vice President, Surfing Federation of India; Deekshith Suvarna, Vice President, Karnataka Surfing Association; Shamanth Kumar, Secretary, Karnataka Surfing Association; Dhananjay Shetty, Chairman, Surfing Swami Foundation; and Saurabh Verma, Manager, Athlete Relations, Sports Authority of India, along with other dignitaries and stakeholders.
The ceremony also featured a traditional Chenda drum performance, a popular folk percussion art form from coastal Karnataka, adding a distinct local flavour to the proceedings.
Competition on the opening day featured action across the Men's Open, Women's Open, Under-18 Boys and Under-14 Boys divisions. While the Men's Open category completed its opening round across 12 heats, the Women's Open competition progressed through the quarter-final stage. The junior categories also witnessed intense competition, with the Under-18 Boys division contesting its opening-round heats and the newly introduced Under-14 Boys category advancing through the quarter-finals.
The day began with the Men's Open category, where 45 surfers competed across 12 heats in a fierce battle for qualification. The top two surfers from each heat progressed to Round 2, scheduled for Saturday.
Among the standout performers were Kishore Kumar (12.90), Ramesh Budihal (12.57), Tayin Arun (12.10), Sanjaikumar S (11.84), Ajeesh Ali (11.74), Akilan S (11.66), Sivaraj Babu (11.33), Sanjay Selvamani (11.33), Harish M (10.27), Srikanth D (9.33), Ruban V (7.93) and Som Sethi (7.30).
The Women's Open quarter-finals saw Tamil Nadu's Kamali Moorthy emerge as the highest scorer of the day across all categories with an impressive score of 13.83. Goa's Sugar Shanthi Banarse followed closely with 11.00 as both surfers secured their places in the semi-finals with commanding performances and excellent manoeuvring skills in the challenging conditions.
Joining them in the semi-finals are Ishita Malaviya (6.40), Devi Ramanathan (5.90), Saanvi Hegde (5.37) and Shrishti Selvam (5.33).
The Surfing Juniors Under-18 Boys category also saw exciting action as 19 surfers competed across six heats for a place in the quarter-finals. Surfers who secured qualification included Harish P (12.67), Tayin Arun (10.33), Som Sethi (9.93), Pradeep Pujar (9.07), Prahlad Sriram (8.60), Sheik Davudh S (6.93), Yogesh A (6.33), Raju Suresh Pujar (5.63), Praveen Pujar (4.40), Harus Mohaiyadeen (3.63), Sanku Karthek (3.07) and Akash Pujar (2.57).
The opening day concluded with the quarter-finals of the newly introduced Surfing Juniors Under-14 Boys category. Harish P (11.33), Sheik Davudh S (6.67), Yogesh A (6.50), Prahlad Sriram (5.43), Prashanth (4.53), Mukhesh (3.70), Likhith Salian (2.67) and Ishant K. Sateesh (2.07) secured their places in the semi-finals scheduled for Saturday.
Mr. Shamanth Kumar, Secretary, Karnataka Surfing Association, said, "The response from surfers and the local community has been extremely positive. The conditions on the opening day were excellent and set the tone for a great championship. This championship plays a very important role in the national ranking system and India's preparations for future international events, including the Asian Games."
Mr. Saurabh Verma, Manager, Athlete Relations, Sports Authority of India, said, "The growth of surfing in India over the last few years has been remarkable. Platforms like this championship are helping athletes gain valuable competitive exposure."
The championship is being organised by the Mantra Surf Club and Surfing Swami Foundation under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), with support from the Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Surfing Association. The New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) has returned as the title sponsor for a third consecutive year, while Cycle Pure Agarbatti and Deconstruct Skincare continue their association as Gold Sponsors, underlining the growing institutional and corporate support behind the development of surfing in India.