Experts have assessed the economic value of Australia’s surf breaks. 

Surfing is more than a beloved pastime for Australians; it is a significant economic driver, contributing nearly $3 billion annually to the national economy, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU). 

A new study highlights the extensive spending by Australian surfers and underscores the need for better protection and management of surf breaks.

“We asked [survey] participants how much they spent on domestic travel and how often they’d travelled to go surfing during the last 12 months, but also how much they spent on new boards, wetsuits and other surf-related accessories,” said lead researcher Dr Ana Manero from ANU.

The survey revealed that adult surfers spend an average of more than $3,700 per person each year.

By utilising data from the Australian Sports Commission, which indicates there are over 720,000 active adult surfers in Australia, the researchers calculated that surfing injects at least $2.71 billion into the economy annually. 

“This is a conservative figure at best because it doesn’t factor in overseas visitors who travel to Australia to go surfing or money generated through professional surfing,” said Dr Manero.

The survey, which included 569 participants, also found that more than 94 per cent of respondents reported positive impacts on their physical and mental well-being from surfing, while over 80 per cent said surfing helped foster a greater sense of community connectedness. 

“Although surfing is typically perceived as a thrill-seeking activity and an individual sport, it’s actually a much more social endeavour than previously thought,” Dr Manero said.

Despite these benefits, Australia's surf breaks face numerous threats, including climate change, coastal erosion, poor water quality, and overcrowding pressures. 

Dr Manero argues that governments have for too long “overlooked” the value of surf breaks and sees an opportunity for better policies and local coastal management plans to safeguard these natural assets.

“Surf breaks are valuable natural assets, but waves only form under a very delicate set of conditions that can be easily altered by anything that we do to the coast,” she said. 

Dr Manero pointed to international examples and local issues to highlight the potential consequences of mismanagement. 

For instance, a previous ANU study found that a wave off the town of Mundaka in northern Spain disappeared due to changes to the sandbar caused by dredging in the nearby river, leading to the cancellation of a competitive event and economic downturn in the area. 

Additionally, the expansion of the Ocean Reef Marina in Perth resulted in the disappearance of three surf breaks in 2022. 

An artificial reef has been proposed as a remedy, but Dr Manero stressed the importance of recognising the value of natural breaks from the outset.

Dr Manero suggested that Australia could follow the lead of countries like New Zealand and Peru, which have formal legal protections for surf breaks. 

“Unlike countries like New Zealand and Peru, where surf breaks are recognised by national-level legislation, Australia’s environmental laws and policies largely overlook surf breaks as valuable natural assets. Across the country, only 20 surf breaks have some form of legal protection,” she said. 

“This means that in Australia you can basically make a wave disappear and no one bats an eyelid because these surf breaks sit in a legal vacuum.”