KUANTAN: IN the late 2000s, surfer Mohammad Zairil Akhmal Zainal, 44, used to frequent Cherating beach near here during the monsoon season to ride its huge waves.
During one of his trips in 2008, Zairil was asked by a friend to teach people surfing.
Now, the father-of-one operates the Cherating Point Surf School, one of the biggest surfing schools in the country, which opens its doors to students between October and March during the northeast monsoon season every year and offers private or group lessons for children and adults.
Zairal from Seremban, Negri Sembilan, said his passion for surfing had led him to do what he loved, which is teaching surfing and spreading awareness on keeping the ocean clean.
He developed an interest in surfing after returning from the United States in 1997 and often visited the man-made Surf Beach in Sunway Lagoon, Selangor.
“Later, I joined my friends in Kuantan, Pahang, to surf in Cherating, which is a top surfing destination.
“In 2008, a friend who owns a chalet business there had wanted me to teach a group of people how to surf. I obliged and as more people started to show interest in it, I started organising classes on surfing.
“It has been 11 years since and we have been receiving strong response from locals and foreigners... I’ve been sharing pictures of surfing activities (in Cherating) on social media. This has led to people asking about its location and waves... Some had even pre-booked (their classes) about six months in advance,” he told the New Straits Times.
Zairal said inquiries about the school’s programmes would usually start coming in before the beginning of the monsoon season, thus allowing him and his team to plan their surfing calendar.
“We have about 10 instructors. Our classes include theory sessions where participants will be taught surfing do’s and don’ts, surfboard positions, safety tips, identifying water currents, as well as how to handle the surfboards before they are taken into the water.
“We have students as young as 9. It will require a student years to master surfing and this depends on his fitness.
“Different surfing boards, including long and short ones, have different purposes depending on the type of waves,” he said, adding that surfing lessons were priced around RM140, depending on the number of sessions.
He said the beach was popular among surfers due to its long “left point breaking waves” at Cherating Point, which offers surfers a ride that lasts for about 400m or longer.
“Cherating offers the most consistent breaking waves in Malaysia. These are perfect for beginners or long boarders. People from everywhere, including Europe, surf here during the monsoon season, which transforms the beach into a surfing hub,” he said.
Besides running the school, Zairal said, he created awareness about keeping beaches clean.
“We remind our students, especially children, to collect any waste they find along the beach and dispose them appropriately. We have schoolchildren from the French School of Kuala Lumpur coming here to take up surfing lessons.
“During their stay in Cherating, they were taken on tours and participated in the Trash Hero beach clean-up programme,” he said.
He described the presence of surfers in Cherating during the monsoon season as a boost to the tourism industry and the beach’s reputation as a top surfing destination.
“It helps resorts and chalet owners, as well as restaurant operators earn an income during the rainy season. Surfers can choose to stay athigh-end resorts or budget chalets.
“They can also participate in other activities and visit attractions,” he said, adding that his premises offered surfboard rental.