Goat surfers set sound example - 22nd September 2023

As the craze for surfing surges, in California, the US, a dwarf goat named Chupacabrah is demonstrating how to ride the waves with poise and professionalism.

Holiday-maker Kimberly Van Donsel happened to notice the antics of Chupacabrah while she was surfing the net for instructional courses in the sport.

Kimberly Van Donsel: "We saw it on the internet when we were searching because we wanted surf lessons and it just sounded so much fun. And we're used to working in agriculture. And I've honestly never seen goats surfing before. So yeah, and I raised goats for many years. So it's kind of a cool way to use them."

The notion of putting goats on a manmade board in water was the brainchild of surf instructor Dana McGregor, gaining him the nickname the 'Goatfather'.

Dana McGregor: "You know, I think giving something or someone an experience that they've never had before is is pretty, is pretty powerful to me. And it's kind of what I live for, you know. It's because I love surfing so much, I, I love giving people or animals the opportunity to do something they've never done before."

For McGregor, goats came onto the horizon when he acquired one to help purge his land of poison oak. He and his original animal, Goatee, quickly became firm friends and it struck McGregor that his hooved pal might similarly relish his own passion for surfing. Goatee was a natural, taking to it like a duck to water, leading McGregor to give other goats a go.

Dana McGregor: "Yeah, they're pretty, pretty amazing out there. They can just kind of. You know they got those hooves that just, yeah, cling to the board. Yeah, they got great balance.

The warm response to the goat posts on social media marked the dawn of McGregor's novel business concept - the Surf Goat Day deal offers surfing instruction, board hire and a tandem surf ride with a four-legged companion, an offer too appealing to miss for tourists like Elizabeth French.

Elizabeth French: "I think it kind of does bring a little bit of like, if the goat can do it, I can do it too! And don't dump the goat. So, I don't know, it was just a lot of fun, and something I would totally want everybody to experience."

Newbie Rebekah Abern instantly recognised that the goat riding the waves on her board had just the knack of how to balance, and it probably had a trick or two buried in its beard too!

Rebekah Abern: "The goat surfed way better than I did. Yeah, she was all about it. She had the positioning and you could tell she'd done it before."