Surfing Goats Ride the Waves in California
What are they up to now?
Reading Time: 4 minutes
This is a continuing story about Dana Joseph McGregor, a man who helps people get over their fear of the water with his lovable goats on surfboards. And, if you’re wondering whether goats love to surf — the answer is an unequivocal yes, they do, especially alongside McGregor and his students.
To appreciate McGregor’s goat therapy, we peek into the history behind McGregor’s love of goats. McGregor studied recreational administration and went on to utilize his skills to become a childcare worker and, eventually, the supervisor of an organization that provided therapeutic care to vulnerable youth. He returned to California at 29, and it was then that McGregor discovered his love of the beach and water, soon becoming a surfing and paddleboard instructor.
McGregor eventually moved to Pismo Beach, California, where he found that weeds and poison oak had taken over the yard of his parents’ home. He’d heard about goats being used to clear away overgrown weeds on landscapes, so he purchased a goat and named her Goatee.
Goatee had great weed-eating skills and became McGregor’s buddy. He took her everywhere, including driving around town and walking around California’s coastal area. In his own words, McGregor said, “Having a goat was pretty cool.” Soon, McGregor and Goatee became inseparable. “I love that goat,” he said.
The First Surfing Goat
McGregor and a friend were at the beach with Goatee when he decided to put the goat on a surfboard during a low surf. McGregor says, “I discovered that Goatee had amazing balance, and she was a good swimmer. She showed no fear.” Goatee was a natural on a surfboard
So, McGregor came up with a new idea. Combining his love of the water with his degree in recreational activities, he would teach surfboarding to everyone, with a special focus on adults and children who feared the water.
During her lifetime, Goatee gave birth to Pismo and later Grover. While Grover isn’t as into surfing as her mother, Pismo shines on the surfboard. “People go into shock when they see these goats out in the ocean, on surfboards,” McGregor chuckled.
With Pismo and Grover by his side, he showed first-time surfers that if a goat can do it fearlessly, then they can do it. And it worked. The impact on new surfers was immeasurable. Pismo and younger sister Grover soon became surfboard teachers as they rode the waves with anyone afraid of the water and surfboarding. “Goats can teach you how to ride the waves,” McGregor told everyone.
Riding the Waves
Pismo carries on Goatee’s legacy and is the star of the show. Pismo became known as the big wave surfing goat, and a book was written about his adventures on the water.
McGregor offers “The Surf Goat Day” package to anyone who wants to surf, from beginners to advanced surfers. The package includes a 90- to 120-minute experience, surfing with Pismo, board rental, tandem surf rides, and extras.
McGregor also created an organization known as The Surfing Goats of Pismo Beach, which allowed him to demonstrate his love of goats and continue his life’s work. He’s also the founder of SurfSUP camp, a series of surfing and paddleboarding lessons suitable for the whole family, or individuals who fear the water but want to learn.”
More than Surfing
The goats are right there, riding the waves as he teaches surfers. He hopes to add a SurfSUP camp for children with special needs. He knows that animals provide great therapy for children, so he hopes the goats being there with the children will offer emotional support. “It’s often said that only a surfer truly knows that feeling,” McGregor says. “It’s very freeing, and I want children to experience that.”
With his surfing goats, McGregor’s impact goes beyond everyday learning. He continues to make possible the impossible by helping kids and families, and advancing his students and families in every way possible.
He’s involved with a project called “Give a Kid a Kid in Haiti,” which raises funds to purchase goats for families in Haiti, where these animals provide milk. The Surfing Goats of Pismo Beach, along with other groups, also raised money to start a goat farm in Mozambique. The farm helps families by allowing them to sell milk, make cheese, and produce ice cream.
You can learn more, watch videos, or schedule a lesson at surfinggoats.com. Be sure to check out the very cute children’s books Dana has written called The Surfing Goat, Goatee, and Pismo’s Party Wave.
ANITA B. STONE is an eco-friendly journalist who nourishes her traditional habit of nature and horticulture. Her love of the land and passion for teaching at the local community college and at senior retirement centers fill her time. She is always searching for new methods to improve the environment, grow food that benefits people, domestic animals, and wildlife. She is an author and master gardener in North Carolina, teaching others how to farm sensibly, making life easier and more fulfilling, and admits that she will always stay young at heart, just like her grandchildren.
