So you want a career in surfing?
I don’t want to discourage you but the facts are this: Only 1% of all surfers in the world actually make a living from it. According do Surfline.com there are approx 2.5 million surfers just in the US. To really make money in the sport of surfing you need to make at least in the top 10% in the WQS (World Qualifying Series) and in the top 16 surfers in the WCT (World Cup Tour) which has 44 surfers. This number is approximately around 100 surfers. Top paid surfers approx 16 surfers come from the World Tour and the 10% of the WQS totaling about 50 surfers make enough income to at least support their surfing lifestyle.
The real money (Millions) is in the cream of the crop and at the top of the list. We are talking about approx 10 top surfers in the WCT and about 10 top surfers of the WQS so about (20 surfers) who bring it enough to to be considered rock star status. So if you are a young grom looking to get into the sport there is a lot of money involved and you can score a really good contract but keep in mind the odds are against you. You will have to be in the top 10% of all competing surfers to make it! If you have the talent, will and determination then you should go for it!! Here are the steps:
Join an armature association such as the WSA or NSSA. Just like anything you have to climb the ladder of success and bring attention to your talents. You can go to their sites to check when and where the contests are.
Once you gain experienced surfing events and obtaining trophy’s you will be better trained to surf against the best in the pro/ am events. One of which we recommend is Volcom VQS, which is a FREE pro/ am surf event. Its held once a month and you can be surfing against some really good top surfers.
http://www.volcom.com/crusty/Series.asp?seasonID=22&n=2007%2F2008+US+Season
After you gained some experience in the PRO/AM contest you would go on to the big leagues. The BIG leagues are the ASP/USA tour and is called the WQS. Please visit their site for more info. If you crack the top here you will definitely get your self seen by some major sponsors to score a good size contract deal. Make sure you can represent your self and have a good portfolio of results and pictures.
The end of the road is the WCT. This is where you can say “yes I’m a pro surfer”. At this level you can bring in a solid 6 figure income and travel the world to surf. To get to this level you would have to be in the top 10 of the WQS for the year. This will require tons and tons of traveling and living out of your suitcase for the entire year. The sport of surfing can bring you lots of experiences and can also humble you very quickly. If you are committed to this you can be greatly rewarded! You can also check out www.aspworldtour.com for more info.
Thanks
Stru
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i never surfed before and i want to make money doing it.
Today, TV and Movies are showing surfing on a regular basis and is truing surfing into
a pop culture phenomenon. With this in mind you can ask your self what your goals and strengths are
and apply them directly to the surf industry.
For example, If you are a good writer and people person you can
interview surfers for a local paper and make money on sending and publishing your articles. Perhaps you are a good photographer and can capture a beautiful photos for surfers or even company websites. There are lots of other ways
but remember, it is always good to have some experience with the ocean in order to make money from it.