WATCH | Bottles, straws and now surfboards — taking recycling to the next level

Is it a surfboard in sheep’s clothing? Does it have a woolly texture? Does it work properly? Big wave surfer and sheep farmer Jurie Muller has merged the worlds of surfing, farming and recycling to create an unheard-of surfboard made with ocean plastic pollution and wool.

After finding a big polystyrene buoy washed up on a beach on the Garden Route on one of his surf runs two years ago, he had the idea to use wool in the process and turn the trash into a sustainable surfboard.

To coincide with this year’s Corona Open JBay, the South African leg of the World Surf League 2023 Championship Tour being held in Jeffrey's Bay, Corona Studios South Africa premiered a short-format digital film, Tides of Wool, to tell this unusual story.

“I was inspired to use wool as a material to minimise the use of fibreglass in the surfboard making process,” Muller explained.

He started fashioning handmade, custom surfboards as part of his brand, Gonzo, in 2010. But this was the first time he’d used a material like wool, which he said is durable and super strong.

Muller produced a type of wool blanket which he laid over the polystyrene blank, or the inner core of the surfboard, and covered this with a bio-sap resin to produce the smooth surface of a surfboard. Because he used wool instead of fibreglass and polystyrene, which is recyclable, this surfboard is more sustainable.

“A surfer surfs about 50 to 70 surfs a board and most boards land up in landfills,” Muller said.

“[I wanted] to ignite a spark in our community to think out the box and inspire them to use recyclable materials.”

His is not the first idea to produce more sustainable surfboards, and Muller said there are interesting things happening at the moment like experimenting with mushrooms to build biodegradable blanks, using recyclable plywood to make surfboard fins and making wooden surfboards.

He said this idea can be introduced to the surfboard community but there is some scope to perfect the process, and with funding and research the wool blanket can be made stronger and lighter.

Mostly it is creating new ways of thinking about surfboards.

Muller said: “I hope the film ignites some curiosity and inspires viewers to create and repurpose things rather than opting for constant instant gratification in a world where we already consume so much.”

Support independent journalism by subscribing to TimesLIVE Premium. Just R80 per month.