Surfers are like snowflakes; no two are the same, except for the top 20 on the Challenger Series, and they’re all pretty much clones of each other. Just kidding, every surfer is a unique being. Still, sociological research allows us to present a categorised smorgasbord of surfers, seven subcultures that make up our current culture.
MUMAGERS AND SUPERGROMS
The supergroms are multiplying by the day. These are boys and girls with mums and dads who grew up reading surf magazines, watching FUEL TV, and standing on the beach when the pro tour came to town, cheering for their favourite surfers. The parents surf well enough to have fun but, in most cases, not good enough to “make it as a pro”. There’s nothing wrong with supporting your kids and helping them achieve their dreams. The problem is when the parents inflict their dreams on the kids. Maybe your two-year-old wants to surf like John John Florence. Maybe your two-year-old wants to play on the beach with a shovel and sand crabs.
Surf comp parents have a lot of options these days for how they’d like to indoctrinate their kids into the surfing world. Again, this is not where
