Surf's Up in Bundoran

Unknown to many, County Donegal has for many years been an international surfing hotspot boasting some of the world’s best waves and attracting the attention of the world’s best surfers.  In recent years, as Irish interest and participation in surfing has exploded in Ireland, the little sea-side town of Bundoran has effectively become the epicentre of Ireland’s burgeoning surfing industry.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to make their passion a sustainable livelihood, the people of Bundoran have embraced the entrepreneurial opportunity with gusto and there are now four surf schools in the small seaside town in Ireland’s Northwest:
•    Surf Coach Ireland
•    Turf n' Surf
•    Bundoran Surf Co.
•    Donegal Adventure Centre (DAC)

Established in 2006 by husband and wife Killian and Mary O’Kelly, TurfnSurf is a great example of the passion and energy of so many people who have chosen to live and work in Ireland’s Northwest.

A Bundoran native, unsurprisingly, Killian has been surfing the Bundoran’s waves since his teens.  Originally from Meath, Mary moved to Bundoran four years ago to set-up TurfnSurf with her husband.  Having witnessed the professionalism and innovation in New Zealand’s adventure sports industry, where they both worked on their travels, Mary and Killian saw an opportunity to develop an Irish business as an activity provider and take advantage of the huge opportunities the beauty and resources of Donegal offered them.

TurfnSurf offers a range of water-based activities including surfing and sea kayaking, with a choice of budget accommodation options to suit all needs.  Given their target market, the TurfnSurf team make sure the fun doesn’t stop when they leave the water, so they also provide a great customer entertainment offering including barbeques, themed-party nights and music gigs. Of course, they also have an excellent team of Irish Surfing Association qualified instructors.

The TurfnSurf team has taken huge advantage of the opportunities the Internet provides to reach their target market.  Both Killian and Mary understand that in a competitive landscape, good marketing is fundamental to engage their customers.  They have used social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and their website as a key tool to reach new markets and engage existing customers.  Their website is a Pandora’s Box of regularly updated news, surf reports, videos and photos.  

“We have found customers want to interact with us, see photos of what is going on locally (no story is too small) and watch videos.  Recently we have started doing weekly Video Surf Reports on Friday’s, which along with the surf report includes a fun local news story.  Last week’s update included a chat with local Declan Madden who is organizing Sea Sessions Surf and Music festival in Bundoran in a few weeks,” commented Mary.

Killian believes the time and effort this online marketing requires is well worth the effort, given the really positive customer feedback and, “We see digital marketing and social media as far more targeted and cost-effective than any traditional promotional options.”

One innovative project included a video diary where a Belgian visitor, Pierre, gave regular updates on his experiences of learning to surf with TurfnSurf and posted them to http://www.inbundoran.com/. Other popular content includes YouTube videos, especially when the waves are really good like this one which has been viewed over 1,300 times.

Both husband and wife are positive about the huge potential for their business and for the Northwest, “we really enjoy our work, we love getting out and about with customers showing them the magic of the Northwest.  Our hope is always that our customers have a good time with a high quality service that leaves them wanting to return.  There is so much to do and see in Donegal, it’s just a matter of opening the door for people.”