Mangaluru (DHNS): Surfing at Sasihithlu beach near here is set to go global in 2018. The Tourism Department will organise the World Premier League for the sport between May 25 and 27 next year.

The announcement was made by Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K G Jagadeesha on the inaugural day of the Indian Open of Surfing 2017 on Friday.

Minister for Forest, Ecology and?Environment?B?Ramanath Rai said surfing had happened at a time when the potential of beach tourism in Dakshina Kannada district remained untapped.

Jack Hebner, popularly known as ‘Surfing Swami’ for introducing surfing in the country, especially in Karnataka, attributed the sport to coastal?Karnataka. The word ‘surf’ evolved from ‘suffe’ when the British took over from the Portuguese.
Moodbidri MLA K Abhayachandra Jain said the Haleyngadi Gram?Panchayat, which had jurisdiction over Sasihitlu beach, had undertaken several developmental works in the past one year in view of the surfing contest. The government has spent more than Rs 1 crore just on newspaper advertisements, he added.

Drone causes a flutter
A white drone camera hovering at low altitude at the beach caused a flutter for a while. When asked, Mangaluru Police Commissioner M?Chandra Sekhar conceded that there were restrictions on the use of drones but said his men would look into the matter.

But Yatish Baikampady, the CEO of Panambur Beach Development Project, who is involved in organising the event, said due permission had been taken from the district administration for drone use. The drone took pictures and videos of the inaugural session and the surfing events.