About 15 people got in the water at the first event of the season in Riverton on October 31.
The seasons in North Otago, Dunedin and the Catlins begin next month.
Mr Slee said spring had been wet in Southland.
"There’s a lot of people that have been stuck inside the farm gate for a couple of months."
A break in the weather spurred a decision to start the fifth season of Surfing for Farmers in Southland early.
"We’ve had a couple of reasonable days where we could have gone and we thought, ‘oh, we might as well make a start’."
He urged more farmers and growers to attend future events.
"It’s only a couple of hours out of your day and you get to refresh and reset, so it’s time well spent off farm."
About 300 surfing sessions were held across 27 locations in New Zealand last season.
• The Rural Support Trust is a community partner for Surfing for Farmers. Contact the trust on 080 078-7254.
