Inside Romania’s Unexpected Surf Revolution on the Black Sea

It heralded a calling to the ocean, one that others in the country also adopted. But it wasn't until Tiberiu went to the Canary Islands that surfing really took hold.

“I can’t say I’ve mastered it,” he said. “Surfing is like martial arts, you just become better by practicing and the process of learning is never-ending.”

Coincidentally, on that trip, Tiberiu met a fellow Romanian called Dan Gheorghe who was a surf instructor on the beach in Playa de Las Americas, Tenerife. “I took a surf lesson with him, there were three of four people.

"That amazing wave was not crowded back then, had an almost empty lineup and I managed to surf the wave on my first attempt, which gave me a morale boost. It felt a little bit like flying and a little bit like snowboarding, something in between. I wanted more of that and began the long process of reconnecting to the water, a connection that hadn't been there since childhood.”

For the Romanians back home, surfing was something only Hawaiians did – confined to the islands of the Pacific, an exotic pursuit that never really made sense on the Black Sea.

“I have tried to bring surfing closer to everybody,” said Tiberiu. “I explained that everybody can surf – this wasn't just for people in warm countries. And, in 2013, I started to promote and teach the first surf lessons in Romania.

“It was actually at a waterpark (Divertiland) which had a small artificial wave pool near Bucharest. This is where the first seeds of a surf community were planted.”

Given the instant access that wave pools offer, that seed grew. “After that, I met a few other guys that were surfing, like Iulius who surfed in Indonesia, Alex Vasile, a good windsurfer who loved waves, Mihai Ghita, Tibi Macaveiu, Dudu, and three or so others. We all gathered in the south town called “2 Mai” every time there was a swell, mostly in the autumn months.”

And it remained that way for years, surfing wind swell out of the Black Sea, sometimes it wasn't pretty, sometimes it didn't meet the lofty standards of surf magazines, but it was surfing to them. That's all that really mattered.

By 2018, extensive works began on jetties across Romania's beaches – especially in Constanta, a port city on the north coast. “Then, we actually had some semi consistent waves,” said Tiberiu. “Slowly, the surfing scene developed more around the city.”

With surf and tourism and people, comes opportunity -- and suddenly, SurfEst was born a competition for beginners and experiences surfers. “Now, there are around 40 people in the lineup on a good day and we have roughly one very good day per month during the season form May to October, when we may have cleaner waves and we don’t freeze in the water.”

Like most surfers, travel's an integral part of Tiberiu's own surfing journey. “I started travelling for surf as it was the only way for me to consistently surf in the beginning,” he said, having attended surf camps in Tenerife, Peru, Bali and Portugal – eventually spending six months abroad and six months at home – much like surfers in other surf-starved countries.

In February 2024, the Romanian surf team was registered with the International Surfing Association, able to compete in the ISA World Surfing Games. The federation's still young, but growing fast, not bad for a country without a dedicated surf shop in sight.

“Surf brands like Rip Curl, Hurley, ION, are present on the Romanian market through distribution networks in snowboard shops, skateshops, and in waters ports shops or big retailers like Decathlon, but no surf shop.”

As for what surfing means to the growing crew in Romania, Tiberiu said: “Surfing is the essence of life, connection to the universe through its natural energy.   It heals me, it even damages me sometimes, it’s my balance board.”