The Original Merchants off Stoke since 1987
Spreading The Stoke
World Class Service
Surf Action is a "core" surf store run by surfers who are passionate about the surfing culture and lifestyle. If you appreciate exceptional service or just good company, pull in! We will provide you with the entire surfing experience, we follow the latest trends and we stock just about all the major local and international surf brands eg: Oakley, Hurley, Quiksilver, Billabong ect... We believe in creating an exciting and memorable in store experience, step into our Boardroom where we stock a massive selection of surfboards and bodyboards shaped using the latest in design and innovation. Just want to rent? No problem, we rent! We also do surfboard repairs.
Over the years we have been involved in a number of projects, events and fundraising ventures and are happy to say that we feel we have made a positive contribution.
In 2003 Ant became involved in the administration of surfing with an emphasis on the coaching aspect of surfing. In 2005 he took over at the helm of Southern Natal Surfriders Association and was the chairman until he had to resign his post because he was appointed to the Surfing South Africa board of directors. He served there for a period of four years eventually ending up as the vice president.
During this time he coached the South African Masters team to victory in Puerto Rico at the International Surfing Association World Masters surfing championship.This was repeated the next year in Peru making the Masters one of the most successful teams ever to leave our shores.
Ant's travels took him all over the world where he gained invaluable insight in a number of areas including retail perspectives, surfboard technology, surf fashion trends and surf coaching. This was integrated into the business and it has paid a number of dividends. If you pop into Surf Action they always have time to shoot the breeze and offer invaluable assistance and advice in trying to solve any issue you may have, surfing or other related.
The staff are always involved in an ongoing training program, ensuring you of the best possible service on the planet. If they don't have it, they will try their hardest to get it always following up on all queries.
Some of the milestones achieved are as follows.
1.Winning the Best Billabong window in the country in 2011.....we received everything else except the beer!
2.Winning the Africa Bike week window in 2012........the boys were stoked because we won some cash and shared the spoils.
3.Still being in business for the past 28 years and God willing for the next 28 years.
4.Having made a positive contribution in the lives of some of our former and current staff members.
5.Being involved in the Trafalgar surfing initiative by supplying pre-owned surfing equipment to the guys....if any of you have any surfing equipment you not using or want to get rid of, please drop it off here and we will ensure it gets to them.
6.Surf Action also believes in second chances and has provided a platform to assist recovering addicts who have decided to turn their lives around, by creating job opportunities for them, while encouraging spiritual growth, sharing the gift of surfing and building on a good work ethic, and it has been an honor to witness the growth and healing take place within many of the staff members lives, many of the staff that have worked here at Surf Action have gone on to achieve great things and reach their full potential.
South African Surfing Hall of Fame
​The Story so far...
Ant Brodowicz
World Class Service
South African Surfing
Springbok Team
Satisfied Customers
Spreading The Stoke
Proud Supporter Of The Trafalgar Surfing Initiative
Surf Action's Roots.


Surf Action was born back in the year 1987 and first opened it's doors in March 1987 under the name of Surf Mart.The store was the brainchild of Ant Brodowicz and Mike Larmont,who was a partner for the first two years after which Ant purchased Mikes share in the business.
Having the surfing back round and pedigree Ant ,with his many staff have grown the business over the years to what it is today, a destination surf store!
Tracking back through the mists of time many waves have broken, been ridden and there are many stories that we could go on forever and a day about, but we will endeavor to take
you with us on our journey up until now. A surf shop was always in the back of Ant Brodowicz's mind even as a kid, speaking of which, he actually starting surfing at the tender age of ten. This became a lifestyle for him and in 1971 at the age of 15 he made his pilgrimage to Hawaii to compete with the worlds best in the Smirnoff Pro-Am.
The next year he made the Springbok team and went on to compete in San Diego. He made the team again in 1974 but did not travel.
Hello....mid 1975 it was off to the army until mid 1976 and after a couple of months training he was back in the arena by making the finals of the South African Surfing Championships held in Cape town.
However it was 1978 that was to be Ant Brodowicz's year.
It was on a sunny morning in July that he paddled out at Nahoon reef in the final of the 7th ISA Worldsurfing
championships where he went on to win the event and become the 7th ISA world surfing champion!
That same year he traveled with his brother Mark Brodowicz, Spider Murphy, Chen Sagnelli and Barry Campbell back to Hawaii to compete.
Now all of this might seem irrelevant but it has a massive bearing on what fruits were born from these early surfing roots and Surf Action is testament to those early days. All of this has contributed to the eventual outcome which is Surf Action!
Having changed the name from Surf Mart to Surf Action was a decision taken by both Mike and Ant because they felt the latter name had a lot more vibe and movement to it and 'said it all'.In the first year of being in business we were hit by the unforgettable Cyclone Demoina which brought buckets of rain, dirty water and some serious financial setbacks and had us wondering if we had done the right thing! Ja,right! There's an old Hawaiian saying, 'No rain, no rainbows'! However and thank God for His guidance the boys persevered and eventually clawed their way back into the positive. It was some time after this that both Mike and Ant decided to part ways amicably and Ant bought Mike out, remaining at the helm to grow the business to where it is today. In fact they are still big mates and back in the days were fierce competitors when they came up against each other in a heat.
In-between this whole 'jol' Ant was trying his best to raise a family and let it always be said that his kids, Byron and Kirra-Lee, took priority in his life. Running a business and sorting kids out is no mean feat, but through the grace of God he managed to juggle it to the best of his ability. Parenting is a complete movie on it's own as we all know and have experienced to a degree.
Surf Action has grown from it's humble beginnings to where it is today, a real deal, world class surf store. Big Kudos must go to one and all who have contributed in some way or another to help us reach this point. But there is more to the story! In 1994 through a tragic set of circumstances Ant found God and since that time has held God in the center of the business seeking Him in every decision, that most definitely was the turning point in more ways than one. To go into detail would take us years, but at the end of the day it was the best decision ever!
Jumping back in time, surfing was the business and the rapid explosion of women's surfing resulted in us opening the first ladies stand alone surf store on the Hibiscus Coast, Hula Girl in 1996. As God would have it, premises became available right next to Surf Action and as they say in the classics, the rest is history. Kaboom, Margate had its own ladies surf store.
We then decided Ramsgate needed it's own surf shop so we opened the doors of The Blue Cool Surf Shop in July 1998, hence Ramsgate has it's own surf store.