Local officials are hailing Saint Lucia’s first-ever appearance on the international surfing stage, after two young athletes represented the island at the International Surfing Association’s World Junior Championship last month.
St Mary’s College students Sebastián Russel Rambally-Ambler and Daniel Frank Rambally-Ambler carried the national flag into competition at Punta Rocas in Peru, joining the world’s best Under-18 surfers.
Saint Lucia was one of four territories debuting at this level – alongside Angola, India and Slovenia – but uniquely, it was the island’s first participation in any ISA event. In a symbolic gesture, sand from Marigot Bay was poured into the World Aquarium to join aggregate from a record 57 national teams, while the cerulean blue flew at a global surfing competition for the very first time.
Though the results were modest, the milestone is being celebrated as a breakthrough moment for the sport. For Sebastián and Daniel, the experience was motivational.
“I just know that no matter what, I have to keep on pushing,” said Sebastián. “And after going to that competition, I really realised my skill level and how much more I need to improve. So, that’s really what I’ve been working on.
“Honestly, my future goal at the moment is about improving, and I want to be able to enter into more competitions to start to grow and become almost more popular in the sport, and also to grow the sport in Saint Lucia. We are in Canaries right now, and we’re trying to create a development programme in order to teach surfing to the youth, because honestly, me and my brother are, like, the only ones doing it here. So, we want to be able to grow a sport like any other sport so that people from around the island could be like, ‘Oh, surfing. Maybe I like that. Maybe I want to try that’.”
That drive to build something bigger is shared by Shaid Rambally, president of the local surfing federation and one of the sport’s lead coaches. He sees the brothers’ ambitions as part of a wider grassroots movement already taking shape in Canaries and Laborie, where young surfers are carving waves with whatever equipment they can find.
“I’ve noticed several generations of young surfers first starting off with pieces of wood coming out into the break here. And it’s continued,” he offered. “I’ve seen the younger generation, the older generation, and they’re dedicated. Every time there’s waves here in Canaries, there’s always at least 10 to 15 kids out.
“And those guys do everything possible to make sure they are out in the water. Even if their parents say no, they sneak away. They’re out riding waves. And their dedication to not having the proper surf equipment and still coming out on pieces of wood and trying their best to ride these waves shows me their dedication to the sport.”
That grassroots passion is now drawing institutional support. The Saint Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association (SLHTA) has joined forces with the federation, backing efforts to field full teams, including women, at future ISA events. Their involvement is part of a broader sports tourism push, aligned with priorities of the Ministry of Tourism and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, and aimed at turning local dedication into international opportunity.
“We’re looking forward to working with coach Shaid and the association to work with the young talent in Canaries,” said SLHTA communications officer Joshua St Aimee. “There’s a lot of untapped potential there, and the Tourism Enhancement Fund is extremely excited to continue the association so that we could develop the sport of surfing further in Saint Lucia.
“We just want to give a huge ‘Thank you’ to all the visitors to our island who continue to donate to the Tourism Enhancement Fund, to enable us to invest in people and communities. And this is a shining example of the power that tourism has to change lives, transform lives and bring people into new opportunities.”
(TF)
Great job guys!