RAMANATHAPURAM: Long before the first paddleboard glides through the waters off Ramanathapuram, young trainees from the fishing hamlets walk the shoreline in the mornings to pick up plastic bottles, discarded fishing lines and other waste the tide has brought in.
For their trainer, 43-year-old Jehan Hoshi Driver, or JD as his trainees call him, this is their first lesson – responsibility – before balance, speed, technique or anything else. The sea can be a classroom, a sporting arena, a workplace and, above all else, a community asset worth protecting, he said. Only after the beach is cleaner than how they found it do they begin training for the day.
Jehan first traveled from Mumbai to the Tamil Nadu coast in 2002, and returned in 2013 during his pursuit of the perfect wind for kitesurfing. In 2013, he helped organise a Red Bull-sponsored kitesurfing event in Dhanushkodi with support from the district administration, introducing the sport to locals who had never seen it before.
His journey subsequently took him through Kulasekarapattinam, Manapad, and Thoothukudi, creating sporting and economic opportunities for coastal youth. Eventually, Jehan and his wife, 42-year-old Upasna—the general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association—chose Ramanathapuram, nestled between Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, as their home
The couple began training children in surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, lifesaving and ocean safety. Jehan’s credentials attest to the highest levels of adventure sport; he is an International Surfing Association coach in Stand-Up Paddle and Lifesaving, general secretary of the Surfing Federation of India, a coach across several adventure sport disciplines and a member of World Sailing’s Under-Represented Communities Committee. Similarly, Upasna is also an International Surfing Association coach who has worked extensively to bring young women from coastal communities into ocean sports.
Yet none of this matters much to the children who gather around them. To them, he is simply JD, the coach who steadies a beginner on a paddleboard, carries equipment, patiently corrects technique and celebrates every small breakthrough. Jehan said he wanted to teach the next generation about water sports and make them attached to the sea; only then would they protect it. Children in the fishing hamlets have potential, and only need some training, he said. “For many of these girls, the first barrier is simply believing that they belong in the water. Once they get that confidence, you start seeing changes far beyond sport,” Upasna said.
Together, the couple have tried to remove one of the biggest limiting beliefs that specialised equipment and professional coaching are meant only for those who can afford them. Fifteen-year-old Aarthi has emerged as India’s National Stand-Up Paddle Champion in the women’s category. “I want the other girls here to see what’s possible. If I can do it, they can do it too,” she said.
Muthukumar, Kaali, Naveen and Reagen are some of the other trainees who have won national medals in water sports. Many local youths have earned certifications as lifeguards and instructors. Among them is 16-year-old Kantheswaram, an aspiring advocate who is currently training to become a PADI Divemaster. Through this programme, he is preparing to lead future marine conservation and reef-development initiatives in the Gulf of Mannar.
Jehan pointed out that the Ramanathapuram coastal belt has emerged as one of Tamil Nadu’s growing centres for ocean sports. More than 15 local coaches and instructors are also continuing the work, many of whom are former trainees of the couple.
With the help of his close friend and long-time sports development partner Arun Vasu, Jehan developed Groms Quest to bring introductory programmes in stand-up paddleboarding, water safety, and environmental awareness to coastal districts across the state. To sustain the initiative and give coastal communities a greater voice in shaping its future, Jehan and Upasna established the Ocean Ambassadors Foundation.
“It isn’t about training one athlete. It’s about creating pathways. When a child becomes a coach, a diver, a lifeguard or someone who protects their own coastline, the whole community moves forward,” Jehan says.
As training ends, the children stack the paddleboards and begin their walk home. The older trainees stay back to help their juniors carry the equipment home.