Surfing Equipment Market

Market Overview

The global surfing equipment market size was valued at USD 4,231.46 million in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 6,234.40 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period (2023–2031).

The constantly expanding interest in surfing and the need for surfing gear has increased due to innovation and constant improvement, promoting market growth. Surfing is a water sport where participants ride breaking waves, often on boards, toward the beach. It's a fantastic physical exercise promoting mental wellness, drawing participants worldwide. The demand for and sales of surfing gear, including surfboards, gear, clothes, and accessories, has been significantly influenced by the growing interest in surfing, particularly among millennials and adventure enthusiasts. As one advances and gains new skills, surfing includes strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and a workout for stress relief and mental wellness. The goal of surf therapy is to increase young people's resilience capacity, ability to manage various life challenges, and sense of self-worth, social welfare, and energy. According to Harvard Medical School, surfing activates specific brain chemicals that reduce mood, sleep, stress, and anxiety. Surfing is more of a leisure activity since being outside and in nature are stress relievers.

However, the sport is also linked to several health advantages. For instance, paddling waves strengthen the back and shoulders and improve cardiovascular fitness. Squatting before standing and doing pushups while lying flat on one's stomach build stronger arms and chest muscles. Additionally, standing on the board in the middle of the waves strengthens your legs and core. It’s a great exercise for endurance, balance, coordination, and physical fitness. 130–260 calories can be burned during surfing for 30–60 minutes.

Market Dynamics

Global Surfing Equipment Market Drivers

Increasing Interest Among Peoples

One of the most prominent water activities, surfing, has become incredibly popular worldwide. The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) estimates that between 17 and 35 million individuals participated in surfing globally in 2019. One of the most active and dynamic industries today, surf tourism, has been enhancing tourism and property prices to increase profits for local economies. Understanding and evaluating the economic advantages of surfing is the idea behind surfonomics, with research and analyses being carried out by environmental and surf-related NGOs like Surfrider Foundation and Save The Waves Coalition. The local economies of Mundaka (Spain), Mavericks (California), Uluwatu (Indonesia), San Miguel (Mexico), and Pichilemu (Chile) are some of the well-known ones that concentrate on surfing tourists. The sport has seen a rise in local involvement due to surfing's well-known economic advantages.

Millennials are becoming more and more attracted to surfing as its popularity soars. Young people worldwide want to spend more time in nature and partake in activities that are good for the mind, body, and spirit to escape their busy schedules and the stress of contemporary life. According to Wavegarden, a leading provider of cutting-edge engineering, world-class wave-producing systems, and surfing lagoons, surfing is a highly aspirational activity, gaining 2-3 million new participants annually. The market for surfing equipment will benefit from the constantly expanding interest in surfing.

Surfing Equipment Manufacturers' Vigorous Growth Strategies

Surf gear manufacturers frequently use organic and inorganic growth techniques to expand their income streams. Product launches are one of the main growth methods, and they often include special benefits and features that might draw in additional customers. Other tactics include the diversification of company sectors and technological advancements. These initiatives significantly boost the market for surfing gear.

P2P Rescue, situated in North Carolina, broadened its market segment in June 2021 and introduced its brand of cutting-edge surfboards designed for performance and speed. The business is considering launching a line of eight various-size, mid-range priced surfboards aimed at beginning surfers. This will encourage new water sports fans to give surfing a try. Thus, the need for surfing gear has increased due to innovation and constant improvement.

Global Surfing Equipment Market Restraint

Surfing-Related Accidents and Injuries

Surfing is prone to injuries and even life-threatening mishaps, even though the sport has many positive effects on one's health and welfare. Legs, head, face, back, shoulders, and arms are surfers’ most often injured areas. The primary source of harm is coming into touch with another person or one's board. Another frequent source of harm is slamming against and destroying the seafloor. Some injuries sustained during surfing include lacerations such as cuts and scrapes, dislocations and fractures, sprains, swimmer's ear, and surfer's ear. Most surfing injuries in 2019 were lacerations, according to statistics from Sports Medicine Australia. According to the report, sprains comprise over 25% of all injuries, followed by fractures and dislocations.

The top 10 reasons for skipping surfing competitions were revealed in AusPlay, a thorough study carried out in Australia between January 2016 and December 2018. According to the data, bad health or injury accounted for 14% of dropouts, making it the most common cause. Even though surfing has not resulted in many fatalities, deadly waves have taken a few lives. Large waves, reef bottoms, jagged coral, and explosive wave lips have all been implicated in surfer fatalities. For instance, a surfer died in a collision with another rider at a surf break in California, United States, in March 2021. Accidentally, a surfer was riding a large wave when he collided with another surfer who was rolling beneath the wave as it passed. These mishaps pose a danger to the market for surfing gear's expansion.

Global Surfing Equipment Market Opportunities

Technological Advancement

Increased public awareness of the sport leads to the worldwide surf business undergoing rapid changes. Businesses actively engaged in surfing are progressively investing in innovations and developments. Young surfers are being inspired to actively engage and feel the excitement of the sport thanks to technological advancements and the concept of artificial wave pools.

To fulfill the expanding need for commercial surf parks, Wavegarden, located in Spain, has established itself as a recognized pioneer in wave creation technology and producing optimum surfing conditions. To influence wave behavior and alter lagoon designs, the business researches, builds, manufactures, installs, commissions, and promotes wave-producing equipment utilizing computational fluid dynamics. In addition to resorts, hotels, commercial centers, real estate, public facilities, private facilities, theme parks, and adventure parks, Wavegarden provides excellent Wavegarden Cove and Wavegarden Lagoon solutions to various attractive markets. The market for surfing gear is anticipated to see additional growth opportunities due to this.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global surfing equipment market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America Dominates the Global Market

North America is the most significant global surfing equipment market shareholder and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 4.0% over the forecast period. The number of surfers worldwide ranges from 17 to 35 million, according to the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association (SIMA). According to a report ISA sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 13.5 million surfers worldwide in 2012 were Americans. Additionally, Comfy Living claimed that the bulk of the surf industry is made up of physical products. With a yearly revenue of USD 1.6 billion, the market for surfing footwear is by far the largest in the equipment industry.

Additionally, surfing has increased due to the sport's social isolation since the pandemic's initial wave. People who do not live close to a beach may now participate in surfing thanks to the usage of wave pools for training and the sport's accessibility. Surfers with access to these pools may practice at any time and in any weather. The need for surfing gear has risen as there are more wave pools.

Europe is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 4.5% over the forecast period. Even though surfing is expensive, it has been rapidly gaining popularity. The rise of new surfers has significantly impacted sales of surfing gear. Young people and adults have taken to surfing since it is a socially isolating hobby, while team sports have been put on hold, and gyms have been shuttered during the early phases of the pandemic. During the later phases of the pandemic, access to sports equipment from within the nation was made simpler by an increase in e-commerce activity. However, lockdown regulations slowed manufacturing during the earliest stages and hampered sales, logistical services, and raw material procurement. In Europe, the recovery rate for sportswear had improved from the pandemic's early stages, when it had declined. The growing popularity of individual sports, such as surfing, cycling, and skateboarding, has also contributed to this trend.

According to the CBI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, millennials have reportedly dominated European travel. For instance, 78% of millennials in Germany, Britain, and France said they are interested in visiting locations where they may be active and outside. These millennials enjoy many soft adventures because they enjoy learning about new hobbies throughout the day and favor outdoor pursuits like hiking, canoeing, surfing, and rural tourism. In Europe, the recovery rate for sportswear had improved from the pandemic's early stages, when it had declined. The growing popularity of individual sports, such as surfing, cycling, and skateboarding, has also contributed to this trend. These factors will positively impact the sales of surfboards and other surfing equipment.

Asia-Pacific has emerged as one of the fastest-growing regions in the global market. Asia is a continent with frantic nations, vibrant marketplaces, and picturesque beaches with picturesque settings that are ideal for surfing. Asia provides fantastic alternatives for water activities, including surfing, waterskiing, kite surfing, and scuba diving, thanks to the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the south. Millennials are encouraged to take up surfing since it is recognized to be a mentally and physically taxing sport that relieves stress.

The Asian physical activity market, valued at USD 166.6 billion, represents direct consumer spending on engaging in a wide range of recreational physical activities, primarily sports and active recreation, as well as fitness and mindful movements, according to the Asian Development Bank's 2018 report. Travelers from Asia and the Pacific region are increasingly interested in extreme sports like surfing. These factors will drive the market in this region.

In LAMEA, Africa is a water sports enthusiast's paradise with various offshore islands and 38 coastline nations, especially for surfers. The most well-known surfing destination on the continent is undoubtedly South Africa, which offers world-class waves in important towns like Durban, Cape Town, and Jeffreys Bay. With good-sized waves and seas varying from calm to wild, surfing in the United Arab Emirates offers a distinct playing field.

Segmental Analysis

The global surfing equipment market is bifurcated into equipment and distribution channels.

Based on the equipment, the global surfing equipment market is bifurcated into surfing boards, and apparel and accessories.

The surfing board segment dominates the global market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 4.1% over the forecast period. Due to rising surfing participation, expanding surf tourism, and rising levels of disposable income, sales of surfing boards will increase. Along with surfboards and surfing attire, vital surfing accessories include fins, leashes, wax, earplugs, surfboard bags, ponchos, boots, hoods, gloves, and watches. Common fin settings include single-fin, double-fin, quad, five-fin, and thruster configurations. Professional surfers like longboards even though smaller boards are preferred because of their superior performance. The growth of the surfing population has significantly increased market demand. Due to the pandemic's closure of gyms and other outdoor recreational facilities, adults and young beginners turned to surfing as a fun, socially isolating hobby.

Based on distribution channels, the global surfing equipment market is segmented into online and offline. 

The offline segment dominates the global market and is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period. Due to the availability of several brands under one roof at consumer outlets such as hypermarkets, supermarkets, company-owned outlets, and specialty shops, offline distribution channels account for a sizeable portion of the global market for surfing gear. High client happiness is the primary aim of businesses like specialized stores. Additionally, when consumers buy things offline, they have a greater grasp of the product's quality and design, and being able to inspect the goods physically influences their decisions.

Surfing equipment is among the many items that various national and international brands supply in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Walmart and Costco are two of the industry's retail behemoths. These businesses sell things online and through big brick-and-mortar locations worldwide. Because they carry products in large quantities and at a reduced price, supermarkets and hypermarkets sell goods that are generally cheaper than those of retail establishments and small businesses.

Recent Developments

• February 2023- A unique partnership between Edinburgh Napier University and LOST SHORE Surf Resort will enable Scotland to host cutting-edge surfing research. The collaboration, known as SurfLab, is a first-of-its-kind official research cooperation between higher education and a wave pool.
• January 2023- The World Surf League (WSL) and Apple have established a collaboration in which the former's Apple Watch will serve as the event's official wearable equipment.