Darshan has spent a lot of time in the water of late. Photos: Ryan Craig
At the start of this month, Santa Cruz surfer Darshan Gooch posted a photo of himself hanging ten on a beautiful, glassy wave. Although Gooch’s accolades in the surfing world are many, including being featured alongside legend Doug Haut in the film For Pleasure Only, this wasn’t a form of self-promotion. This was the start of his month-long commitment to surf every day of September, for a good cause.
Gooch explained under his photo, “throughout the month of September I will be surfing for 30 days straight and sharing some of that joy to support families in remote surf communities through [Surf Aid’s] Make A Wave challenge.”
Darshan is one of 1,316 surfers partaking in the month-long challenge, and so far, the event has raised $447,933 to help bring clean water, healthcare and food security to families in remote surf communities.
Since 2021, Make A Wave and all of its participants have raised almost two-million dollars for families “in the heartlands of surfing.” Gooch endorsed the project, writing on his debut post that “access to basic services like clean water should not be a privilege. A donation of just $65 can help an entire family access seed nurseries and a nutrition garden. Any amount can truly make a difference!”
Besides the fundraising, Gooch also donated a surfboard to further the cause. Those interested can support Darshan’s and SurfAid’s efforts at the Make A Wave website, here.
Gooch grew up on the east side of Santa Cruz, in the Pleasure Point area. When I called him, he was on the road, hunting for waves, as usual. Although his reception was spotty driving the desolate, northern roads of the U.S., he returned my call when there was an open window. I ran out of the surf shop I was in, straight to my car, to chat with the stylish surfer.
Gooch exuded a sense of calm and positivity even over the phone. When I pressed him to define himself, he refused all attempts to brag, simply saying, “I’ve surfed my whole life, but really, I just love surfing. At this stage in my life, I don’t identify with pro surfing or competition. I guess you could qualify me as a surf enthusiast.”
At this stage in his life, Gooch has experienced different chapters of surfing. “I love surfing so much, and I want to keep doing it as long as I can. I want to share it with my kids and my friends. It’s my community, my sacred space where I can balance all the different parts in life.”
This guy is using every tool to catch wave on his quest to raise money for SurfAid. Photo: Ryan Craig
Darshan especially appreciates the community that comes with surf travel, and this is partially what sparked his interest in the Make A Wave Challenge. “As a traveling surfer, you build friendships and community everywhere you go… through traveling or contests or surf exploration.”
But the credit cannot totally go to travel. Gooch said, “I got to know Surf Aid through one of the events that comes to Santa Cruz every year. It’s a vintage longboard event called The Logjam and they do a lot of fundraising and contests with different teams. That was originally how I got introduced to the good work they’re doing in remote communities.”
While Gooch said he has never been to some of the most remote locations Surf Aid serves, he feels fortunate in his life at home. “Surfing is giving me so much. If there’s some way I can make some small impact or somebody else’s life better, that seems like a pretty good reason to do it.”
Gooch also said, “I guess I have a hard time asking for money. I don’t know if that’s really like an easy thing to do for me or like selling anything or even self promotion, it feels like selling out in a way, but I just love to share surfing and I just think it’s such a beautiful thing if there’s a way to make a difference in doing what you love. It seems like a no brainer to give back in a small way.”
This has been the biggest learning curve for Gooch so far. “This is all new to me,” he said, “so I’m trying to figure out how to present it, but I have had friends and family that have been like, ‘oh, that’s super cool you’re doing that and want to reach out and get on board and support.’”
So far, Gooch has been able to surf almost every day as he set out to do, which alone is a success. I asked him if there were any challenges with flat spells and the like. He responded, “September is a tricky part of the year, where I live. We get swells from both the southern and northern hemisphere, but it’s the back end of summer, so it can typically be slow with periods of fun waves. There have been challenges in having to adapt when there’s no waves. Then, I’ll take my kids surfing or body surfing or go jump off a rock or go swim.”
On the flip side, with most dedicated activities, “there have also been days where the surf has been great and it’s easily accessible or just also leveraging different equipment and having the right tool for the job, so to speak, to maximize your capabilities of joy or having fun.”
I asked Darshan if this challenge has changed his mindset towards surfing in any way. Maybe, for the better? “At this point in my life,” he said. “I work in class, I have kids, and I have enough things in life pulling at me to where I don’t just have all my youth and my freedom to surf all day every day. Right now, I’m driving up to the Pacific Northwest, and I did a long day in the car. I didn’t get my surf in. There have been a couple days where I’m like, ‘okay, you didn’t surf today. You’re going to jump in the water and do a cold plunge and whatever. Get the gills wet.’”
“It’s good to feel that healing energy that the ocean gives us that when we would rather maybe just say, ‘oh, I’m tired, and maybe tomorrow.’ It has pushed me a little bit more.”
I joked to Darshan that he was probably getting better surf than me in flat-stricken, Southern California. He laughed. “Yesterday was kind of pumping, and I think there’s more coming down the coast tomorrow and the following day, but I’m just grateful to get some waves.”
