By: Ana Rahlves
Olana teamed up with local organizations in Colombia to help families experience surfing for the first time. The goal is to open doors so that kids and adults can keep practicing the sport for years to come.
The Coast of Empty Waves
There’s a stretch of coast on the Colombian Pacific ocean where a thick jungle meets empty dark sanded beaches, big rocky islands stick up from the ocean, giant humpback whales return every year to give birth to their calves and rivers flow from the mountains to meet the ocean.
There are also good waves off this coast. While not always consistent and very dependent on big tide swings, point breaks like the popular left-hand, fast wave at Pico de Loro, or soft beach breaks like Jurubira offer surfing opportunities. However, few locals take advantage get to ride these waves.
The beach of Jurubira, Choco, Colombia offers small, soft waves ideal for beginners.
The coastal towns of Nuqui and Bahia Solano, in the department of El Choco, on the northwestern coast of Colombia are difficult to reach. A boat ride from Buenaventura can take anywhere from 6 to 24 hours. Small planes fly from Medellin or Bogota.
This isolation makes it very difficult and expensive for locals to buy and bring boards to this area.
Still, surfing is already gaining momentum and that can mean a turn of the tide for some local families.
A Community Comes Together to Ride the Waves of Change
Olana was born in California with strong ties to Colombia. After several visits to the Pacific coast of Colombia, and even with a very small budget, it was clear that we wanted to contribute to the emerging surf community, maintaining a commitment to female empowerment as part of Olana's mission.
The Olana team at a photo shoot on the Pacific coast of Colombia.
That’s why we teamed up with local organizations Pacifilia and Bambasurf Club to create a surf clinic for the families of El Valle, Choco.
Bambasurf Club’s social media bio reads “transforming lives through sports”. They have been spreading the stoke of surfing in the town of El Valle for years now. While their efforts have resulted in creating a group of male surfers, they wanted to do something more to also involve girls and women from the community.
The Bambasurf Club team has a long-lasting relationship with Paficilia, a Colombian non-profit organization that focuses on education, agriculture, and art. Together they have created and participated in local surf contests where the majority of surfers are still boys and men.
Understanding that parents can be hesitant to allow their kids to try a new ocean-related activity, Olana, Pacifilia and Bambasurf Club came together to create a small but powerful surf clinic that involved both parents and children.
The surf clinic was held on April 25, 2026, which coincided with Children’s Day, a Colombian national holiday, adding excitement to the event.
The selected location was Jurubira, a protected bay where softer waves roll on a sandy beach surrounded by a small village and a green jungle.
The day started with a one-hour boat trip. Getting around in this area is challenging because fuel is expensive and the number of boats are limited.
After some on-land surf instruction, coaches and parents took to the water alongside the kids, pushing them into their first waves.
The main focus was on paddling skills, strengthening a sense of safety and enabling the girls and boys to enjoy their time in the water.
Local kids from Jurubira were curious about the surf lesson and joined the activity, eager to try some of the surfboards brought in for the clinic.
Part of the surfboards used on this activity were brought to El Valle by Colombian shaper Jefferson Tascon, who has walked the extra mile to help surfers in El Choco upgrade their quiver.
A post-surf lunch with a dip into the local hot springs was the perfect way to finish the day before heading back home to El Valle.
In total, 25 people from El Valle participated in this surf clinic, 5 of whom were moms, marking a historic milestone for the community.
This was only a small first step towards opening the door to more fun time in the water for these Colombian families, especially for girls and boys who can now choose to continue practicing the sport for years to come.
Is it too big of a dream to hope the next Colombian surf champion will come from this area? It may not be anymore.
If you want to learn more about the organizations involved in this surf clinic, you can follow Pacifilia, Bambasurf Club, and Olana on Instagram.
Note: The funds to finance this surf clinic came from Olana Swimwear and a group of individuals committed to spreading the love for surfing in Colombia.