Record number of young workers join Surf & Work in Thyborøn

A record 50 young people are spending the summer working and surfing in Thyborøn this year, with participants arriving from across the Nordic region for the first time, reports DR.

Finnish participant Minea Cantell, 18–30, is among the new international recruits. She found the seasonal job listing online and now spends her days serving seafood at Æ’ Fiskebutik while surfing the North Sea in her free time.

“There isn’t much work for young people in Finland, so we look elsewhere. The whole concept—surfing and living together—is a big plus,” Cantell said. “The chance to surf here is a completely unique experience I can’t get anywhere else.”

The Surf & Work program, run by Thyborøn Surfcenter, places participants in local businesses for about 30 hours a week during the peak summer season (weeks 28–32). They live together at North Sea College, with surf lessons included for beginners.

Organizers Sigurd Carl and Jarl Asger Koustrup attribute the program’s growth to its appeal and regional expansion. “Part of the success is that we’ve nailed the concept—people have a really great summer here,” Sigurd Carl Koustrup said. “We’ve started taking Swedes and Finns, and Norwegians too, if they want. There just aren’t any yet.”

Local businesses rely on the extra workforce during the busy season. Language barriers have been minimal, the brothers note, with even thick Swedish dialects quickly becoming understandable.