Wade In The Water: A Journey Into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture

dir. David Mesfin
88 min | Screened with Q&A with David Mesfin

A documentary that reclaims the 1,000-year-old tradition of Black surfing and aquatic culture—inspiring the next generation of Black surfers. 

Wade in the Water: A Journey into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture (2023) reclaims the 1,000-year-old tradition of Black surfing. Braiding historical accounts with modern-day testimonials, the film dismantles the racial barriers of conventional surf culture, delves into the overlooked history of Black surfing’s legacy, and honors its current movement—inspiring the next generation of Black surfers. 

Piloted by historical experts and community leaders in the BIPOC surfing movement, Wade in the Water (2023) reclaims the 1,000-year-old Black surfing tradition—inspiring the next generation of Black surfers. Braiding historical accounts, footage, modern-day testimonials, live-action shots, and interviews, the film delves into the overlooked history of Black surfing’s legacy. 

Guided by compelling voiceover narration, the journey begins with Prof. Kevin Dawson from UC Merced as he chronicles the evolution of aquatic African culture, from the first written account of surfing in the 1640s to its place in the context of 1800s America.

Flowing into the 1900s, historian and heritage conservationist Alison Rose Jefferson, M.H.C. | Ph.D., honors the lives, legacies, and struggles of Santa Monica’s pioneering African American surfers; thoroughly recounting their clashes against Jim Crow laws that legalized and enforced racial segregation. 

What follows are extensive introductions to and insights from contemporary Black surfing legends, icons, and community leaders, as they discuss the generations responsible for cultivating Black surfing’s traditions and spiritual principles. These individuals are currently spearheading programs that are establishing equitable access to surfing in BIPOC communities, women’s surf clubs, and public policies that promote environmental stewardship and protection.

Featuring

Vicky Williams | Surfer who shared waves with Nicolás Rolando Gabaldón: Nick was the first documented Black and Latino surfer in Southern California.

Sharon Schaffer | First Black female professional surfer

Selema Masekela | American television host, sports commentator, actor, singer, surfer

Tony Corley | Founder of Black Surfing Association (est. 1975)

Rick Blocker | Black surfing advocate

Greg Rachel | Co-Founder of Black Surfers Collective 

Co-presented by