Economy's a bummer on surfers' wallets
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. - For years, Chris Mauro took a 10-mile detour on his way to work each morning to check out the swells at his favorite surf break and plot the best location for his after-work wave-riding. But with gas now approaching $5 a gallon, Mauro recently cut out his daily ritual in favor of the savings.
He isn't alone. Surging oil costs have been a dose of reality for many surfers who had thought of their sun-kissed sport as a counterculture niche shielded from pressures of mainstream America.
But the industry depends on petroleum-based products to build and ship its boards. And surfers in search of the biggest waves have to dig deeper into the pockets to fill their gas tanks or book flights to the best breaks around the world, including far-flung places like South Africa and Tahiti.
"We all think about oil in our cars, but very few of us really consider the fact that every little piece of man-made equipment around you is oil-based, and surfing's no different," said Mauro, who's seen the price of some surfboards double to $750 or more. "The price of a surfboard, it used to be something where it was pretty digestible. Now, it's like, 'Whoa, OK, I've got to put some serious thought into this.'"
Until now, surfing - with its trendy clothing and gear - has been one of the fastest growing sports industries in the U.S. In 2006, independent retailers of surf gear brought in $2.65 billion in revenue, up from $2.46 billion two years before. Meanwhile, U.S. retail sales of surfboards jumped from $106 million in 2004 to about $190 million in 2006, according to the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association. Industry numbers for 2007-2008 aren't yet available, but some retailers and manufacturers say they expect that rapid sales growth to slow after seeing drops approaching 30 percent in their own operations.
Some predict the tough economic times will take a heavier toll on family-run surfboard workshops - once the mainstay of the industry - than on the large, national board makers such as Channel Islands, Lost Enterprises, Dewey Weber Surfboards and Surftech.
The smaller operations are struggling with the rising cost of the petroleum-based resin used to coat surfboards.
Peter St. Pierre, who owns Moonlight Glassing in San Marco, Calif., has seen the cost of resin jump 30 percent to $1,000 for a 50-gallon drum in the past year, squeezing his profit margins when money is already tight.
"If we can break even this year, I'll be happy," said St. Pierre, who recalls a similar crisis in the 1970s oil embargo.
"It's a trade-off of being able to do something you love, with your hands, and being able to go out and go surfing instead of just punching the clock," he said.