Surfing and spirituality: sociological interpretations of spirituality in the Christian surfing subculture in the United Kingdom

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate sociological interpretations of spirituality in the Christian surfing subculture of the United Kingdom. This research was done through participant observation undertaken at the National Gathering of Christian Surfers UK as well as semi-structured interviews with three Christian surfers.

Following the data collection process and analysis, five principle themes emerged. Firstly, surfing subculture was examined, exploring the perceptual differences between how the surfing subculture is stereotyped and its reality. Secondly, The Primitive, and how these notions manifest a surfer’s naturalistic spiritual pathway. Thirdly, The Search, a concept driven by a self-perpetuating need for adventure and novel surfing experiences and how this interacts with a Christian surfer’s spirituality. Fourthly, surfing was examined as a form of play, exploring concepts of liminal and sacred spaces and their influence on religious groups. Finally, semiotic interpretations of postmodern Christian spiritual practice were examined through the interrelatedness of ecclesiastical and surfing symbolism. These five themes are interspersed with self-reflexive data providing further perspectives on the spiritual implications of these factors.