India, June 18 -- Kodi Bengre doesn't look like your typical surf town. It's a sleepy fishing village where a narrow, four-kilometre road, flanked by coconut trees and Mangalore-tiled roof houses, separates the Arabian Sea from the Swarna River. There are no beach shacks, no flashy signboards, and no crowds-just boats pulled up onto the sand, the scent of fish in the air, and the kind of salty breeze that lingers on your skin. The first time I paddled out on a surfboard into these waters, I knew I had found something I wasn't ready to leave behind.

A Surf Club With Soul Shivangi Vaswani winds down after a morning in the water (Photo Credit: Sarang Aigalikar) The Shaka Surf Club, where I spent two weeks in 2023, is tucked along the rive...