At 17, Kamali Moorthy already carries the hopes of India’s surfing scene on her shoulders. All eyes will be on her in the upcoming days as the seventh edition of the NMPA Indian Open of Surfing begins on Friday in Mangalore. The tournament is even more important, considering that surfing will be part of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games later this year.
While Kamali effortlessly swept through the competition and rode the waves in Andaman, it wasn’t that straightforward, as the youngster had to battle ‘nagging’ injuries and overcome self-doubts when she was on the board.
“Yes, the Andaman Open was quite challenging, and I had self-doubts because of the injury as well,” Kamali told DT Next.
“I couldn’t even bend down and get up, it slowly got better for me. My foot got stuck between two reefs, and it twisted. I was icing it from mid-day to 2 AM. I was crying everyday, ‘What will happen if I don’t make it?’. But I had that hope that I will make it,” she adds.
Normally, Kamali’s equation with the water is of friendship but during the event, she had a hard time, especially with her board getting dinged from the reef. For the youngster, though, it was part of the experience, and every place that she has surfed has taught her to stay patient. Until 2022, she hadn’t even dreamt of the sport becoming her profession, as Kamali was caught between the surfboard and the skateboard. But once she started competing at various events around the country, she knew that she had to ‘take it more seriously’.
“Once I started competing, I was like ‘Oh, I guess I need to take it more seriously’. Then suddenly, it grew bigger than I imagined,” the youngster laughs. As Kamali’s ambition grew, so did the surfing scene in Mahabalipuram, a place now called the surf spot. If not for her uncle, Santosh Moorthy, she wouldn’t have even got on that surf board.
“We just took up surfing, and in a few years itself, SFI started hosting nationals, and then Asian games also happened. The surfing map has India on it, it wasn’t easy for them, they struggled a lot. But we still made it as the ‘Surf spot’, so we are all very proud of that,” she stated.
While she might be 17, Kamali wants to be the reference point for future generations, thanks to her ‘special’ connection with the ocean.
“I think there is some special connection between me and the ocean. If there are waves or not, I just want to get into the water. I look at the rocks, and say ‘Just give me some happiness, and I trust you, you can trust me, make me feel happy and safe’.”
If she’s happy or sad, all Kamali wants to do is: spend her time in the water with the ocean.