Cuban Boy's Inventive Surfing Solution Captivates Online Audience

A young Cuban boy has become an online sensation after a video of him demonstrating how to craft a makeshift bodyboard for surfing went viral. The video, shared on Instagram by user @hugo_mesa_bizet_, captures the child explaining the step-by-step process of creating a homemade board due to the lack of access to proper sports equipment.

In just 29 seconds, the boy outlines the method: shaping the board from yellow foam, smoothing it with a sack for a polished finish, adding two plastic discs cut from a tank, connecting them with wire to form a loop for attaching string, and finally using straps from an old backpack to secure the board to his body.

“We shape it with yellow foam, then we smooth it with a sack. After that, we take a piece of tank plastic to make two little circles. We open it a bit, pass a wire through, and create a loop for the string. Lastly, we use backpack straps to attach it,” the boy narrates in the video.

The post's creator includes a plea for donations: “This is how kids in Cuba have found a way to surf using something like a bodyboard. If anyone has surf materials to donate, please DM me.”

The Art of Improvised Surfing in Cuba

In Cuba, surfboards, fins, wax, and other gear are nearly impossible to find in local markets, with costs prohibitive for most families. Consequently, Cuban children and teenagers have fostered a culture of invention, crafting with discarded materials—a legacy of decades of shortages in the country.

This video is part of a documented tradition of makeshift surfing on the island. The Santa Fe Surf Club, established in November 2021, is a prominent initiative promoting the sport among the youth at northern Havana beaches, relying heavily on external donations.

In January 2024, Cuban surfers received a notable donation of boards, fins, traction pads, and wax from abroad, hailed as a milestone by the community. The INDER has pledged support for Cuban surfing, yet athletes acknowledge that such promises have largely remained unfulfilled.

Cuban Creativity in the Spotlight

Cuban ingenuity amidst scarcity has frequently attracted social media attention. In October 2025, a young man surfed a stagnant water pool in Havana with a board salvaged from a dumpster. By February 2026, another used a wooden board, diving goggles, and a rope pulled by friends to surf a flooded street.

This phenomenon ties back to a broader tradition rooted in the Special Period of the 1990s, when the lack of toys and sports items led to the norm of handmade creations among Cubans. Decades later, the same necessity continues to spur similar solutions.