“When you’re in the water, you can feel that it’s the place where everything starts,” says 23-year-old Ismaila Samb, a surfer and Olympic hopeful from Dakar, Senegal. “The ocean helped me a lot. Even now sometimes when I get mad or I'm not feeling that good, whenever I’m in the water, almost everything disappears. It's somewhere to relax, somewhere to enjoy, somewhere to think about life. When I was younger, I was fighting a lot. But since I started surfing…now, I don't.” 

That feeling of calm and serenity that the ocean gives us is certainly one that translates the world-over. But while various nations across the globe have caught the “surf bug” some 75 years ago or more, there’s something very special about the newfound stoke and beach culture coming out of growing surf hubs in the continent like Dakar.  

During Ismaila’s last trip to California, we caught up with the young Outerknown ambassador and listened to his story, getting a rare glimpse of what surfing looks like in West Africa. 

How was your trip to California? Were you competing? 

Yeah, I was there for a contest called “A Great Day in the Stoke” at Huntington Beach. It's like a festival for Black surfers. A guy invited me and two other friends from Senegal, but it was only for a week, and I didn't want to just stay a week. So, I stayed for two and a half months to surf and progress. After the contest, I went to Oceanside and stayed with a Senegalese guy who grew up in Senegal but now has his house there. So, I was just surfing in Oceanside and San Clemente sometimes. 

Nice, what have been your favorite waves in California? 

I would say Oceanside. I like Lowers, but it's a bit crowded. I only surfed there two times. I was mostly surfing the Oceanside Pier, south side and north side. 

Talk to me about growing up and surfing around Senegal. There haven’t been many generations of surfers yet, no? 

I think I would say I’m like the fourth generation of surfers in Senegal. The first Senegalese surfer was Patina—he's maybe in his late-50s. After him, we have the second generation. They're the ones who made the surfing federation, and now they're working in it. The third generation is Cherif and his friends. Cherif is almost 30, and I'm just 23. 

Awesome, and you're competing around Senegal and West Africa? 

Yes, I'm on the national team of Senegal. We also have an African tour to compete individually, as well. The African tour is starting in March. Normally we have like six stops. The first one is going to be Ivory Coast, and the second one Liberia. The others depend on whether they find the money to organize the contests, but the first two are confirmed. 

Nice, so, being on the national team, does that mean you could potentially qualify for the Olympics? 

For sure. It's one of my biggest goals in life—to qualify for the Olympics. Normally, they use El Salvador for the qualification. Honestly, it’s really hard to qualify, but potentially, it can happen. This year we have the qualification in Brazil, maybe the ISA in September. 

Growing up, was it even normal to become a surfer in Senegal, or were people like, “what are you doing?” 

In the beginning, no one knew what surfing was. Even my family. I started surfing because of my big brother; he was the first one. I was kind of a terrible kid because I was fighting almost every day, making problems. My mom got so tired of it. Every day someone would come and tell her, "Your kid is fighting outside." So, my mom talked to my brother, and everywhere my brother went, he had to bring me with him. 

Your mom sounds awesome.  

Well, the thing is, my mom didn't know my brother was surfing, because she was scared of the ocean. When she realized we were surfing, she got so mad. Every time we came back wet, she'd smack us. You know African moms… So, in the beginning, she didn't like it. But we’d just go anyways. Just a secret between me and my brother. 

But even other people were like, "What are you guys doing? This is crazy, how can the board be in the water? How can you stand up on it?" It was something weird to do, because people only knew wrestling or football or basketball. Surfing wasn't that famous. Even right now, it's starting, but not that much. We are having girls and kids surf now, though, which is cool. 

That’s incredible. What else do you do around Dakar, besides surfing? 

I live at the surf camp and work as an instructor. I teach surfing and also do surf guiding with people who already know how to surf. Our surf camp can take 25, 30 people, and we get full a lot of times during the year. That's my little job besides surfing to get some money. 

The club I'm riding for also has a foundation called Surf Kids Shredding Senegal. I was one of the first people in the foundation. It helps good surfers who don't have the materials, and kids who don't go to school, because it's really hard to get materials in Senegal to go to school. The foundation brings those materials to kids, gives them the best ones, and then puts them in school and takes care of it. They also bring people from France who give classes about school or surfing. I'm almost like the oldest one, so I kind of inspire the boys and show them the level that I'm at right now, and how one of them can be at this same level. Or even way higher. 

Unreal. So, there are clearly some big obstacles that surfers in West Africa have to overcome, especially if they want to compete. 

Yeah, it's really hard from here. Every place you go, you need a visa and the flight tickets are crazy. Like, three times more expensive than when you travel in Europe. Also, as an average African, you can't really plan ahead. You’re never sure you're going to have the money you need. Usually, we make the money to enter two days before, or last minute. That's the hardest part of being African. You don't have a lot of support. 

Damn. What other surfers do you look up to, or love to watch? 

I like the guys on the CT. I really like John John and how he surfs. Kelly, of course. I like Italo and his story, though, because he started with nothing, became world champ, and he's still top five, top three. He's the one who inspires me a lot—the best example of the kind of life that I could have. I would say Italo, for sure. 

Is there a kind of natural connection with surfing and fishing villages where you live? 

Yeah, definitely. People around here are pretty familiar with the ocean. Almost every kid knows how to swim without taking any classes. It's something normal to be part of the beach or part of the water. We're not the ones with the fishermen boats going far all day, but we're in the same lifestyle. 

At Outerknown, they have this saying: Find Your Outerknown. It means doing the thing that gives you joy, or that you're passionate about. What does that mean to you?  

I would say surfing and just being in the ocean is finding my Outerknown. When you’re in the water, you can feel that it’s the place where everything starts. At least for me, it did. It helped me a lot. Even now sometimes when I get mad or I'm not feeling that good, whenever I’m in the water, almost everything disappears. It's somewhere to relax, somewhere to enjoy, somewhere to think about life. In the beginning, I was fighting a lot. But since I started surfing: now, I don't. 

Well said. What are some of your favorite pieces of Outerknown that you find yourself wearing? 

To be honest, I think I love everything. Everything I wear, people are like, "Wow, that is cool" or "That looks super nice on you." I really like the Hightide hoodies. The All-Time boardshorts are super nice because during the day it's kind of hot over here and they breathe some. I also love the Blanket Shirt. During the night or sometimes when the day is windy and a little bit colder, you can wear them and they’re so comfortable.