The feeling of tranquillity when riding a good wave is something surfers across the world understand. It’s a balance between body and ocean, stillness and motion. For some, like Afridun Amu, the moment means more than just peace – it offers escape.
Amu was five years old when his family fled war-torn Afghanistan in 1992. They were granted political asylum and settled in Germany, seeking safety and a fresh start. “In the first years when we escaped the war, it was about survival,” he said. “But once we were in Germany, we began integrating ourselves into the society, as much as the country allowed.”
The idea of constant movement has shaped Amu’s identity. “Maybe it was the nomadic influence from my ancestors,” says Amu and that sense of motion eventually led him to Russia, Australia, and finally Portugal, where he now lives.
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But it was a spontaneous hitchhiking trip in 2006, after finishing high school, that changed his life. “I ended up at the Atlantic Ocean in France, was handed a board, paddled into the water, and that was it. I realised this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Amu said at the Asian Surfing Championship in Mahabalipuram.
While studying law in Germany, he often swapped the library for the beach – books in one hand, surfboard in the other. His fascination with the sea began long before he stepped on a board. As a boy, he was mesmerised by the ocean he saw on television.
Surfing might seem an unlikely pursuit for someone from a landlocked country. But Amu sees potential in Afghanistan’s terrain. “It has many rivers, especially in the mountains – when the ice melts, the rivers flood. There are static waves (a type of river wave formed by turbulent water) that you can surf on,” he explained.
However, Afghanistan’s surf scene is small and mostly abroad. “With one of the world’s largest exile populations, Afghan communities are spread across the globe from California to Australia and India,” said Amu.
His passion led to the founding of the Wave Riders Association of Afghanistan (WRAA) in 2012. Within two years, the WRAA was officially recognised by the International Surfing Association (ISA), the sport’s global governing body.
In May 2015, the first official Afghan Surfing Championship was held in Ericeira, Portugal. It was the first time Afghan surfers competed under their own flag.
Amu went on to become the first Afghan national surf champion. His victory qualified him for the 2015 ISA World Surfing Games, an international competition showcasing emerging surfing nations, which marked Afghanistan’s debut on the global stage.
In 2018, Amu set his eyes on Afghanistan, hoping to build on the momentum with a team of river-surfing experts from Canada and Germany. Their journey became the subject of ‘Unsurfed Afghanistan’, a documentary showing the region’s beauty and the curiosity of local communities.
The effort was a hopeful first step to bring surfing to the Afghan people. But these grassroots initiatives were put on hold after the country’s political situation changed dramatically in 2021, when the Taliban regained control of the nation.
But Amu’s commitment never wavered. In 2022, he was elected to the ISA Athletes’ Commission, one of four new members chosen to represent surfers and “serve their sport outside the water.”
While Amu and the Afghan team were at the inaugural Asian Surfing Championship in 2019, held in Shantou, China, the full unit wasn’t present for the fourth edition of the tournament. “We were all supposed to be here, but unfortunately, we faced some visa issues,” said Amu, who is competing in the Men’s Open category.
Despite the challenges, Amu remains committed to Afghan surfing’s future and wants to “keep Afghan surfing alive”. Whether in the water or behind the mic, a ‘special’ role he frequently finds himself in, he continues to support and grow the sport however he can.
The sea was never part of his geography, but today, it’s where he feels most at home.
