Words by Corinne Evans. Photos by Checkered Photography.
I’ve been teaching girls and women to surf on my Surf Tour for the last six years and what a fun six years it’s been! It has allowed me to work with all abilities and ages and has taught me a lot about my surfing and even allowed me to fall in the love with the sport all over again. Women’s surfing is constantly growing and the participation levels are at an all time high right now, which I am so happy about!
Coaching females to surf has been such a great experience and I hope to continue to do so for many more years! Here’s are I’ve learnt about surfer girls since launching my tour.
The more fun you have the quicker you will improve
On my surf days there are always a few girls who just seem to be having the time of their lives and they are the ones catching all the waves and having the most fun. Sometimes I think we are all guilty of taking our surfing too seriously. Surfing is meant to be fun and we do it because we enjoy it so why do we beat ourselves up when we fall off. I always try and reinforce the fact that surfing is FUN and we should smile and enjoy it. Enjoy the waves and the wipeouts and embrace our great waves and our not so great ones.
You can surf, even if you’re landlocked
You don’t have to live by the coast to be a surfer. I would say 90% of the ladies that attend my surf days are from landlocked areas, so there is no excuse not to give surfing ago. It’s so amazing to see all the city surfers grabbing their boards and heading to the coast even if it’s just for a surf after work or a surfing weekend away.
Female surfers are so supportive
There is such a wonderful sisterhood within surfing and this is so evident on my surf days. They love nothing more than sharing the stoke in the surf, cheering each other and calling each other into waves. Personally this is one of my favorite things about being a female surfer, I love the community feel that comes with it. However we are still quite a rare breed; so when you see a surfer girl out in the surf say hi and have a chat!
Surfer Girls are determined
I have been teaching surfing since 2010 and I have realised over this time that female surfers are such a determined bunch. We very rarely give up which is so great to see. I am always so impressed with how focused the ladies who attend my surf days are. They want to surf as much as they can I am often waiting on the beach while they catch one more wave.
Female Surfers are tough
Even though my surf tour runs through spring and summer there are still some days were it feels like the middle of winter. This however doesn’t faze anyone. It can be raining heavily or the wind can feel icy and it won’t stop the ladies wanting to get out in the surf and practice. This commitment to the sport is amazing and if you can have fun surfing in the wind and rain think how much fun you’ll have in the surfing in the sun!
If you want to book onto one of my Surf and Yoga Days then just head over to www.corinnessurftour.com/events I’ve have an event on this Saturday in Devon.
Also look out for the new updated version of the Surf Girl Handbook, the essential guide to surfing, which is out on August 1st!
