‘Wade in the Water’ Shines Light on Black Surf Culture

Article: ‘Wade in the Water’ Shines Light on Black Surf Culture - Surfer

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Wade in the Water: Documentary on Black Aquatic Culture

“In 10 years of wave riding, I’ve only met two Black brothers who’ve saught the sensuous pleasures found in the tubes of Mother Ocean.” Those are the words Tony Corley wrote in a letter to SURFER Magazine in 1973 hoping to find and gather Black surfers together amid a culture that has not always been accepting of them. Two years later he founded the Black Surfing Association to further his goal.

Corley is just one of the fascinating figures featured in Wade in the Water: A Journey into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture, a new documentary from director David Mesfin. The film is a celebration and examination of Black surf culture, largely focused on the greater Los Angeles area. It will be available on Amazon Prime, PBS and Vimeo Plus on June 19 and is currently available in libraries, colleges, universities and K-12 schools via The Video Project.

The film showcases a surfing population that has been historically underrepresented in lineups and surf media. Mesfin’s documentary has garnered critical acclaim by winning several awards, including Best First Feature Documentary at the 2023 Pan American Film Festival and Film of the Year at the Ericeira Portuguese Film Festival.

The doc begins by highlighting the aquatic culture of pre-colonial Africa, where diving, swimming and paddling were part of daily life. Interestingly, the first written accounts of surfing in Africa by Europeans predate the first written accounts of Hawaiian surfing by 137 years. The focus then transitions to contemporary figures. We hear firsthand accounts from Sharon Schaffer, believed to be the first Black female professional surfer. There’s Selema Masekela, one of surfing’s most beloved commentators and television hosts. Greg Rachel, co-founder of Black Surfers Collective, also gives insight into the largely underrepresented community of Black surfers.

Another intriguing personality highlighted is Nicolás Rolando Gabaldón, the first documented Black and Latino surfer in Southern California. Born in LA in 1927, he was an early standout at Malibu, and many of the film’s senior statesmen cite him as a role model because of his commitment to surfing at a time when beaches were segregated and opportunities for minorities were not readily available. As he didn’t own a car, Gabaldón reportedly would either hitch to Malibu from Santa Monica or paddle 12 miles (each way) in the water to find waves.

Mesfin also shows a darker side of 20th-century California beach culture. There are multiple examples of how mostly white municipalities consistently used eminent domain or other means to seize valuable Black-owned oceanfront properties around Los Angeles. The subjects describe it in no uncertain terms: discrimination, economic sabotage and systemic racism.

To address these issues of inequity and segregation, numerous groups and nonprofits have formed to help get Black, Indigenous and other people of color into the water. Mesfin highlights Corley’s Black Surfing Association, Rachel’s Black Surfers Collective, INTRSXTN Surf, Black.Surfers, Black Surf Club Santa Cruz, Color the Water, and Sofly Surf School, to name a few.

Beyin Abraha, an executive producer of the doc and co-founder of Sofly Surf School, said these efforts are meant to bring new and experienced surfers into the fold. His school offers free surf lessons, but the larger picture is about something bigger.

“I think another major thing is representation and visibility,” he said. “It’s much easier for you to try the sport or find out about an African surf history documentary if you’re involved in one of those groups or just checking them out.

“There has been an explosion of groups like these in recent years which is great to see and really interesting to see how each one fills a different need as far as location and environment, but I’m really focused on collaboration between the groups. Those connections are so powerful in my opinion.”

Just like Corley’s original idea 51 years ago, these groups aim to foster an inviting community in the waves, creating a welcoming place to share few a laughs and give a few rides. As Corley eloquently put it in his 1973 letter to SURFER, “Fear not, other surfing brothers. Mother Ocean knows no prejudice in her ovals.”