Ishita Malaviya

Ishita Malaviya is India's first professional female surfer.

Career

Malaviya began surfing in 2007 after meeting a German exchange student. She currently runs a surf club named the Shaka Surf Club as well as a camp called Camp Namaloha in Coastal Karnataka in India.

Malaviya, along with her high school friend and boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan, runs the surf club from the village of Kodi Bengre, located on the Konkan Coast. As of 2014, she is the only Indian to be appointed as a brand ambassador for Roxy surfwear.

Malaviya has stated that her ambition is to promote the Indian coastline as an international surfing destination.

In 2019, she was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Asia.

In 2014, a documentary film titled Beyond The Surface, was made, based on the life of Malaviya and other female surfers. Another documentary chronicling the life of Malaviya was co-made by the groups Storytellers for Good and the Brown Girls Surf.

Personal life Malaviya was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) and studied journalism at Manipal University, Manipal. She has a degree in journalism.