New surfers are hitting the water as the pandemic sends more people outdoors for solace. Inland wave pools are popping up around the world, bringing ocean-like waves to previously landlocked regions.
And with the Olympics expected to debut the sport on a worldwide stage in 2021, there’s no sign the sport of surfing will be wiping out any time soon.
The sport’s surging growth caught the interest of TCG, a private equity firm that invested $30 million for a majority stake of Surfline.com, the Huntington Beach surf forecasting and media website that started as a phone report.
Surfline.com also has a new CEO, a former Amazon and Walt Disney Company executive, who brings his big-brand experience to the smaller surf-centric company, which has offices facing the iconic Surf City pier.
Incoming CEO Kyle Laughlin succeeds Jeff Berg, whose family still owns a stake in the company. Berg will stay on as executive chairman.
TCG has Headspace, The Action Network and MeatEater among its portfolio of investments. The opportunity to join the surf industry was appealing as the sport has grown, especially this year, with a global audience and participation that has been through the roof, Laughlin said.
“COVID has given rise to people finding new ways to exercise and get closer to the elements and the things they love,” he said.
Before joining the Surfline team, Laughlin oversaw Amazon’s Echo and Alexa gadgets division. Before his time at Amazon, he was a senior vice president at Walt Disney Co., in charge of the Disney and Lucasfilm mobile apps, connected hardware, and game experiences.
Part of why he wanted to be a part of Surfline’s growth was the company’s rich history and its ability to be a leader in the surf community, he said.
“It starts with my admiration for the Surfline story,” he said. “It’s 35 years, one of heritage and grit, from the 976 call in to the web experience and now mobile applications, with world-class talent across product and editorial.”
The company was the brainchild of Sean Collins, a sailor and surfer from Seal Beach who had a vision for giving ocean-users information to “Know Before You Go,” the popular tagline for the company that has stuck since the early days.
It started 35 years ago as a phone line — 976-SURF — giving Southern California surfers inside info for that day’s swell. Prior to forecasting capabilities, surfers would have to drive to their surf break on a hunch to check the conditions, often getting skunked if the elements – wind, waves, tides and weather — didn’t cooperate.
Collins was a passionate waterman who helped not only everyday surfers find waves but also worked with lifeguard agencies to warn of dangers approaching the coast. He died from heart complications in 2011 at age 59.
Surfline.com today has morphed into a worldwide marine monitoring platform with iPhone apps, high-def video cameras, and a spin-off website for boaters and fishermen, Buoyweather.com.
One of the most popular features is an array of 700-plus cameras around the world pointing at surf breaks, some of which give surfers the ability to rewind so they can watch their waves. The website has an estimated 3 million users worldwide.
Laughlin sees a parallel between Disney and Surfline and their ability to put customers first.
“We have some world-class storytellers, as it relates to surfing,” he said. “You’ll see continued investment in content that helps people understand where swells are around the world using our world-class forecasters to help people know before they go and you’ll see a content around that as well.”
Laughlin said the company will be hiring, expanding on the 100 or so current staffing levels.
Some of the innovations in the future include using the company’s 35-year data set and artificial intelligence to improve its forecasting capabilities, he said. One feature that may be coming in the future, for example, would calculate how many people are out in the water.
“We’re all busy individuals that have a finite amount of time,” he said. “We can make smarter recommendations that are more personalized to you as a surfer to take advantage of one of your passions.”
Berg said it’s the commitment to connecting surfers with their passion that has fueled the growth of the business through the years.
“Kyle brings leadership experience gained at the most successful companies in the world coupled with a true passion for surf and the ocean,” Berg said in the announcement. “I’m confident that he is the right person to drive the next phase of Surfline’s growth and evolution.”
At Amazon, Laughlin worked on Alexa, which already has had a partnership with Surfline with the ability to ask the voice-operating system surf conditions and forecasts.
As surfing heads into the Olympics and wave pools pop up around the world, the growth opportunities are just scratching the surface, he said.
“As an industry, we’re all excited about the Olympics and the continued global appeal and the chance to reach more customers around the world. Wave pools only increase that likelihood,” he said. “It’s going to replace golf in many ways, as part of those leisure sports more and more people will take advantage of. Travel and leisure, that’s only going to continue to grow.”
He also sees growth opportunities in sister company Wavetrak Inc., an ocean-forecasting website geared more toward boaters and anglers.
Laughlin grew up in Chicago and lived in Manhattan Beach before transplanting to Laguna Niguel in south Orange County, where he can be found with his 1-year-old daughter at Salt Creek in Dana Point or Aliso Beach in Laguna, who is already has joined the tsunami of ocean-enthusiasts enjoying the beach.
“Keeping her out of the water is a challenge,” he said.
