The International Surfing Festival in Varkala is Kerala's own surf contest, and its second edition was held on our home beach, Edava, in April 2025. Organised by Kerala Tourism with technical support from the Surfing Federation of India and the International Surfing Association, it brought more than 50 athletes from India and abroad to Edava for three days of competition across men's, women's, groms and tag-team divisions. We hosted competing athletes at our house, a few minutes from the contest site.
Here is what the festival is, how it ran, who won, and why it matters for anyone learning to surf in Varkala.
What the festival is
The festival is run by the state: Kerala Tourism organises it together with the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) and the Thiruvananthapuram District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), with the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) providing technical support (Kerala Tourism). Its purpose is partly sport and partly signal: to show that Kerala, and Varkala in particular, is a serious surf destination.
The first edition in 2024 drew 65 surfers from within India and abroad, and the organisers describe the event as open to professionals, amateurs and enthusiasts alike, with workshops and lessons alongside the contest (Homegrown).
The 2025 edition at Edava
The second edition ran over three days at Edava beach in April 2025, reported as 10 to 13 April (Homegrown), with more than 50 athletes taking part (Kerala Tourism). The heat draws, scoring and results were run on Liveheats, the platform surf federations use for live judging, where the event is listed as the International Surfing Festival Kerala Varkala 2025 (Liveheats).
For us it meant something simple: surfers from all over India paddling out at the break where we teach beginners every morning.
Why Edava works as a contest beach
Edava is a sand-bottom beach break, which is what makes it forgiving for beginners and fair for competitors: no rocks or reef to fear, and waves that break in the same area as long as the sand stays put. On bigger, cleaner days the outside peaks give competitive surfers room to turn; on smaller days the whitewater inside is where our lessons run. The surf season on this coast runs from roughly October to April, when the swell is cleaner and the wind lighter, which put an April festival at the tail end of the good months. Our Varkala surf season guide breaks the year down month by month.
Divisions and winners
According to Kerala Tourism's report, the winners were (Kerala Tourism):
| Division | Winner |
|---|---|
| Men's Open | Kishore Kumar |
| Women's Open | Sugar Shanti Banarse |
| Groms 16 and under, boys | Harish P |
| International Aloha tag team | Team Percy |
At the closing ceremony, Kerala's tourism minister, P. A. Mohamed Riyas, spoke of developing the state as a hub for adventure sports such as surfing, trekking and cycling.
Our part: hosting the athletes
When the festival came to Edava, we opened the house to competing athletes. It made sense: our rooms are a couple of minutes' walk from the sand where the heats ran, which meant early starts without early alarms, boards racked by the door, and a rooftop full of people talking about nothing but waves.
If you are coming to compete
For surfers travelling to a future edition, a few practical things help:
- Stay close to the site. Heats run to the tide and the wind, and schedules shift. Being a short walk from the beach means you can check the sea, watch the heat before yours and warm up properly.
- Bring your own boards, and a spare fin. Contest surfers ride their own equipment. If something breaks, we run board rental and ding repair at the house, which can save a heat.
- Plan for heat and sun. April on the Kerala coast is hot and humid. Rest between heats in the shade, drink more water than you think you need, and use reef-safe sunscreen.
- Eat well and early. Contest mornings start at dawn. Breakfast at the house is built around surfers who have just come out of the water.
- Know the beach before the horn. Spend a session at Edava before the event if you can, to learn where the peaks sit on each tide.
Why it matters if you are learning to surf
A national-level contest on your beach is a useful signal even if you have never stood on a board:
- The wave is real. Organisers choose a contest site because it produces rideable surf through the event window. Edava's sand-bottom break works for competitors on good days and for beginners in its gentler whitewater on the rest.
- Surfing in India is organised. The Surfing Federation of India runs a national ranking system and sanctions events like this one on Liveheats (Surfing Federation of India on Liveheats). The same federation accredits surf schools, which is what our SFI accreditation means.
- The local scene is growing. Surf culture on this coast goes back years. In Kovalam, south of Trivandrum, the Kovalam Surf Club was set up in 2005 by local surfer Mani Sreekumar and Belgian surfer Jelle Rigole, teaching local children for free on the condition that they go to school every day of the week (Adventure.com; Kovalam Surf Club). We are listed with the club, and proud to be part of the same coastline.
Watching the next one
If you are in Varkala during a festival, go and watch. Contest surfing is the fastest way to understand what good surfing looks like: the paddle positioning, the wave choice, the way the best surfers use every section of a wave. A few practical tips:
- Get there early. The best heats are often in the morning, before the wind comes up.
- Bring shade and water. There is little cover on the sand at Edava.
- Watch a whole heat, not just the rides. Seeing how surfers wait for and choose waves teaches more than the highlights.
- Stay for the finals. The standard lifts noticeably on the last day.
To learn on the same beach, our surf lessons in Varkala run every morning at Edava, and the surf season guide explains when the waves are best through the year.
Frequently asked questions
When is the International Surfing Festival in Varkala?
The 2025 edition, the second, was held at Edava beach in April 2025, reported as 10 to 13 April. Dates for future editions are announced by Kerala Tourism and the Surfing Federation of India, usually a few weeks ahead.
Who organises the Varkala surfing festival?
Kerala Tourism, with the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society and the Thiruvananthapuram District Tourism Promotion Council. The Surfing Federation of India and the International Surfing Association provide technical support.
Where was it held?
At Edava beach, on the quieter northern side of Varkala, the same beach where our surf school teaches.
Can beginners take part?
The contest divisions are for competitive surfers, but the organisers describe the festival as open to all, with workshops and lessons alongside. Beginners get the most out of it by watching, then taking a lesson.
Where can I see the results?
Kerala Tourism published the winners, and the full heats are on Liveheats under the International Surfing Festival Kerala Varkala 2025.
Did Kuma Surf take part?
We hosted competing athletes at our house on Edava beach during the festival. Our surf school is accredited by the Surfing Federation of India.