Surfing in Senegal: Living with and from the sea

The water splashes on all sides as Cherif Fall does a 360 degree turn with his surfboard. Despite the relatively small waves that day, the 22 surfers from eight African countries put on a good show. Commentator René Laraise cheers into the microphone and cheers on. As a multiple Senegal and African champion, Cherif Fall is one of the best surfers on the continent.

The 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games (JOJ) opened in Dakar on Saturday. With a huge contingent of more than 1,000 performers, a light show, smoke machines and numerous star guests, the first Olympic event on the continent was duly opened to the thunderous applause of thousands of spectators. The production focused on Africa's rich cultural heritage and with it the historic premiere of an Olympic event being held on the African continent for the first time. The spectators in the 50,000-seat Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Senegal were led through the ceremony by three generations of a symbolic family.

While “Mother Alkebulan” embodied the values ​​and traditions of the ancestors, her son Keb stood for today’s Africa. The third generation, the young girl Sitoé, symbolized the future of the continent, and with it the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games. Judoka Jolina Reinhard and beach volleyball player Filo Wuest carried the flag for Germany during the opening parade.

A total of 2,655 young athletes from 205 delegations will compete in 25 competitive sports until November 13th in the Senegalese cities of Dakar, Saly and Diamniadio. In addition, ten other so-called encounter sports take place, including kayaking, golf, modern pentathlon, sport climbing and surfing. The sports outside of the competition classification are primarily intended to give the local population and those interested the opportunity to get to know the sports, come into contact with athletes and try them out for themselves.

The Senegalese Surfing Association is organizing activities along the beaches of Dakar over three days. It's not about perfect conditions or best times, but about sharing the passion for the sport. Tricks are demonstrated, skills are tried out on the board and small competition situations are recreated.

Among those taking part are surfers from Liberia, Ghana, Angola, Mozambique and Morocco. “Africa’s surfing scene as a whole is still pretty unknown,” says surf coach Philip Banini from Liberia. “We have fantastic waves, but few people know about them.” The demonstration is therefore intended to make the many surfing spots and opportunities on the continent better known.

But anyone who lives from and with the sea also knows how threatened it is. Babacar Thiaw is someone who has been working to protect the oceans in Senegal for years. The passionate surfer was bothered early on by the plastic waste that floated between the waves in which he regularly surfed. Instead of coming to terms with it, he started sensitizing people about the problem. He was one of the first to turn the family restaurant on Virage Beach into a zero-waste restaurant. Plastic has been taboo there for a good ten years.

Thiaw has now founded the Surfrider Foundation Senegal and regularly organizes beach cleanups. There is still little awareness of environmental pollution: “For people who fight for survival every day, the issue is not a priority,” says Thiaw. Coastal pollution is a pressing issue, especially at the gates of the city of Dakar. The surfers also want to use the Youth Olympic Games to draw attention to this.

At the Place du Souvenir Africain, along the coastal promenade of Dakar, where skaters usually do their laps, a number of information stands about the encounter sports have been set up these days. While surfing, visitors can put on 3D glasses, virtually immerse themselves in a wave, imitate the movements on the board and experience what it's like to have a wave break above them. It almost goes without saying that the beauty and need for protection of the sea are also conveyed.