Jobs in Surfing: Building a Women-Only Surfing App

For our Jobs in Surfing Series we chat to Portuguese surfer Rita Marques, about how she developed Swella, a women-only surfing app after years of traveling and surfing solo.

Rita, tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up, and how did surfing become such a big part of your life?

I grew up in Lisbon, Portugal, just a short drive from the ocean. My parents didn't surf, but Portugal has a strong beach culture, so I grew up spending lots of time at the beach and was always drawn to water sports. I started wakeboarding when I was a little girl, and at 13, I started surfing with two girlfriends. I instantly fell in love with it.

Suddenly, my teenage life revolved around catching the bus to the beach after school and spending my weekends surfing. I wanted to surf every chance I got. My mum actually reminded me recently of how often I used to tell her how much I loved surfing and that it was all I wanted to do in my free time.

As I got more into surfing, I started coaching and dreaming about my first trip to Indonesia. I remember buying surf magazines every month and looking at pictures of tropical waves, imagining what it would be like to surf them one day. I took my first trip to Bali when I was 20, and I've been in love with the island and the country ever since.

I later lived in Australia and eventually started working remotely for a company based in Bali. That gave me the freedom to work from anywhere and build a lifestyle around the ocean. I honestly can't imagine myself living far away from it.

Surfing has given me so much more than just a sport. I love the sense of adventure, challenge and freedom it brings, and the way it constantly pushes you out of your comfort zone. It's also taken me to incredible places and introduced me to amazing people along the way.

For a long time, I never imagined I could turn that passion into something connected to my work. That changed last year, when I was laid off from my previous job. It made me reflect on what I really wanted to do and gave me the push to take a different path.

I wanted to bring together my passion for the ocean and my professional experience in tech and marketing to build something meaningful that could have a positive impact. That was the beginning of Swella.

You've spent years surfing and travelling around the world. How did those experiences shape the idea for Swella?

Travelling solo and surfing in different parts of the world made me realise that finding people to surf with isn't always as easy as it sounds, especially as a woman.

I remember my first trip to Bali and having a pretty intimidating first experience surfing in Uluwatu. In the years that followed, I kept returning to Bali, but I went years without surfing that wave again. I was too scared to paddle out there on my own, and I didn't have any female friends who could take me. My guy friends would say they would paddle out with me, but somehow it never happened.

Eventually, I found the courage to surf there again, and I remember thinking how much time and waves I had missed out on simply because I hadn't given it another go sooner.

Indonesia has since become my second home, and I've been lucky enough to find a couple of girlfriends to surf Uluwatu with. But I still remember how happy I was when I found my first Uluwatu surf sister.

There's something special about finding another woman who surfs at a similar level and enjoys the same kind of waves as you. Sharing sessions, pushing each other and exploring different breaks together changes everything. You automatically feel less intimidated and more seen in a lineup that is often dominated by men.

I now feel confident surfing in Indonesia, I have many friends there, but what happens when I travel somewhere new? What if I want to go to Central America? I might be confident in the water, but I don't necessarily know anyone there and I’m always intimidated to surf a new spot.

It was while thinking about an upcoming surf trip to Nicaragua that the idea for Swella really started to take shape. I realised there was a gap between the freedom of travelling solo and the desire to have other women to paddle out with.

Looking back, I think the need for Swella had actually been with me throughout my entire surfing journey. It came from a very personal need, but I knew I couldn't be the only woman who had experienced this.

Before launching Swella, you worked in tech and marketing. What did your career look like, and did you ever imagine you'd end up running your own surf-related business?

My professional background is in tech and marketing, and I've always been passionate about the startup world. I've mostly worked with small companies and tech startups, which I really enjoyed because I like learning, working closely with small teams and seeing the impact my work can have. I've always had ideas and knew that one day I wanted to start my own business. I just hadn't found the right opportunity or the right moment to take that step.

For the five years before starting Swella, I was already working remotely for a company based in Bali, which gave me the freedom to work from anywhere and build a lifestyle around the ocean and surfing. I loved that freedom, but I didn't necessarily know I would end up running a surf-related business. I just knew I wanted my work to be connected to the ocean in some way.

The year before starting Swella, I was also involved in launching Mac software, which gave me valuable hands-on experience in bringing a digital product to market. I worked closely with product and development teams, learned a lot about the process and gained experience that would become incredibly useful when I started building Swella.

In a way, Swella brought together two sides of my life that had always existed separately. My professional experience gave me an understanding of digital products, marketing and business, while surfing gave me the personal insight into the problem I wanted to solve.

Looking back, I can see how much my previous career prepared me for building Swella. I didn't necessarily plan this path, but I think all those experiences gave me the skills and confidence to take the leap.

Lots of people have great business ideas, but very few actually make them happen. What gave you the confidence to take that first step?

I think it was a combination of timing, maturity and feeling that I couldn't let this idea go.

I've had other business ideas in the past that I genuinely believed in, but I never had the courage, financial stability or confidence to take the risk and pursue them.

This time felt different. I was pushed out of my comfort zone when I lost my job, which was something I probably would never have left myself. It was a remote job that gave me a lot of freedom, and I genuinely enjoyed that lifestyle. But at the same time, I had been missing a sense of purpose and meaning in my work for quite a few years.

Looking back, I feel like the idea for Swella came into my life at a time when I needed it, but also when I was finally ready to do something about it.

For the first time, I decided to stop worrying about what other people might think or whether I had everything figured out. I trusted my gut, believed in the idea and decided to go for it.

There is always a reason to wait. You might feel you don't have enough experience, enough money, the right connections or all the answers. But I've learned that you don't need to have everything figured out before you start. Sometimes you just need to take the risk, figure things out along the way and believe in what you're building enough to give it a chance.

How did you go about turning your idea into an actual app? Did you have any experience in app development, or was it a completely new learning curve?

It was definitely a learning curve and still is. In my previous job, I was involved in launching software for Mac, mainly from the community and marketing side. I worked closely with product managers and development teams, getting involved in feature planning and product development. So I had some exposure to the process, but I had never actually built an app myself.

With Swella, I found myself on the other side, having to approach things from a product manager's perspective. I had to learn a lot about app development, from designing the user experience and defining features to understanding the technical side of bringing a product to life.

One thing that has helped me enormously, particularly on the product and marketing side, is that I'm part of the target audience myself. I'm building something I would genuinely use, and I've experienced the problem firsthand. That gives me a natural understanding of what women might be looking for and what would actually make their experience better. At the same time, I think it's important to listen to different perspectives and not assume everyone has the same needs.

That's also why I wanted to launch Swella in Indonesia and spend a month in Sumbawa while building the app. I was surrounded by women who were surfing and travelling solo, which gave me the opportunity to meet potential users, hear their stories and learn directly from their experiences. Those conversations helped me validate the idea and gave me valuable insights into what women would actually want from a platform like Swella.

I've learned that an idea and a working product are two very different things. You have to build, test, listen and keep improving. Swella is evolving, and that's one of the most interesting parts of building a tech business.

What were the biggest challenges you faced getting Swella off the ground? Were there moments when you wondered whether it would work?

There have been quite a few. Building an app is one challenge, but building a community around it is another entirely.

One of the biggest challenges with Swella is that it's a platform built around connections. It's not just about getting women to download the app, but making sure they find value in being there and the connections they're looking for.

From the beginning, I've wanted to focus on building the right community, not just growing the numbers. Of course, the more women join, the more opportunities there are for connections to happen. But I've been intentional about growing Swella organically and bringing in women who genuinely love and need what we're building and are willing to support and engage with others.

Something I hear quite often from women using Swella is how much they love seeing their friends and friends of friends on the app. It makes me happy because it shows that we're building a community through real connections and word of mouth. Trust and safety are also important considerations when bringing women together, particularly when they're meeting or travelling with people they don't know.

Then there's the reality of being an early-stage founder. You're responsible for so many different things, from product development and marketing to partnerships, managing limited resources and constantly figuring out what the next priority should be.

Of course, there are moments when I've questioned whether this will work and whether I should keep going. That's part of building something from scratch. You have days when things move forward and others when you feel you're taking two steps backwards.

But I keep coming back to the reason I started. It's been so rewarding receiving messages from women telling me they've made new friendships through Swella, and even met their best friends on the app. Knowing that something I created is helping women build genuine friendships and be happier in the water, makes all the hard work worthwhile. It reminds me why I started in the first place.

What does a typical working day look like for you now? Are you still managing to fit in plenty of surf time?

No two days are the same. One thing about being a founder is that there's always something to do! I usually start my mornings by checking how the app is performing and catching up on Swella's social media activity, before moving on to the priorities I've set for the day

Since I'm still running everything myself, I wear many hats, so prioritising is key. When I was building the app, my focus was mostly on the product, probably 70% product development and 30% community building. Now that the app is live, those priorities have shifted. I'm spending around 70% of my time on marketing, content creation, PR and community building, while the remaining 30% goes into product development and partnerships. Of course, things always come up unexpectedly, so I have to be flexible and adapt as I go.

I do try to make surfing part of my daily routine. One of the reasons I wanted to build a business around surfing was to create a lifestyle that allows me to stay connected to the ocean. I'm based in Ericeira, just a few minutes from the beach, so I usually start my day with some yoga or stretching, check the surf and tides, and, if possible, try to organize my work around the time of the day that I will go surfing. Ideally, I try to get in one surf session a day, if conditions allow.

Surfing has always been my mental escape from the anxiety and noise of everyday life, and now that I'm running a business, it's become even more important. It gives me a chance to switch off, be present and put everything else aside for a while.

Of course, running a startup doesn't always make that easy, and there are days when work takes over. But I didn't start a business to stop living my life, and I can't forget to actually live it along the way. I started Swella because I wanted to build something I believe in while creating a lifestyle that I love. For me, that means making time for surfing, travelling and enjoying the things that inspired me to start in the first place.

Swella was inspired by your own experiences of surfing alone. Why do you think it's still sometimes difficult for women to find other female surfers to connect with?

Surfing can be quite an individual sport, and depending on where you live or your level, the number of women you regularly see in the water can be quite small.

When I started surfing, I had two girlfriends alongside me, but they quit quite early on, so from a young age I started going surfing alone or with the boys. At the time, not many women surfed in Portugal. And as much as you love surfing, getting into a wetsuit and paddling out in cold water, especially on your own, takes a lot of motivation. It's easy to lose that motivation or eventually give up.

I think this is something many women experience. You can be completely independent, confident in the water and comfortable travelling alone, but that doesn't mean you don't want company.

There's also the feeling of being one of the few women in a predominantly male lineup. Having other women around can make a real difference. You feel more seen and confident, and there's a natural sense of support between us.

It also makes a difference to have someone there who understands your level, your goals and the type of waves you enjoy. Having that connection can make the whole surfing experience more enjoyable.

I don't think women necessarily need more encouragement to surf independently. What they need is more opportunities to find each other.

That's really the thinking behind Swella. It's not about replacing the independence that comes with surfing or travelling solo. It's about making it easier to find your people along the way.

If someone wanted to follow a similar career path, what would you recommend she study or gain experience in?

I don't think there's one specific degree or career path you need to follow to become a founder. My own experience has taught me that a combination of skills, curiosity and being willing to take risks and learn can be much more valuable than following a very linear path.

If you're interested in building a tech business, I'd recommend gaining some understanding of technology and digital products, even if you don't want to become a developer. Knowing how products are built and how to communicate with technical teams is incredibly useful.

I'd also recommend getting practical experience in marketing and learning how to reach an audience and build a community around a product. One thing I've realised from building Swella is that being part of your own target audience gives you an incredible advantage. When you're building something you genuinely need and would use yourself, understanding what your audience wants and what makes the product valuable comes much more naturally. That's something no course or textbook can fully teach you.

Most importantly, build something around a problem you genuinely care about. Having a personal connection to what you're creating gives you a much stronger motivation to keep going when things get difficult. And don't wait until you feel completely ready, because you probably never will!

What’s the reality of running a surf business compared with the dream?

The dream is obviously building your life around surfing and a lifestyle you love. The reality is that there's a lot more business than surfing involved!

I think it's easy to romanticise the idea of turning your passion into your job, but when you run a business, it becomes much more than that. Suddenly, you have very little time off, and it's hard to switch off because your hobby is also part of your job.

For me, surfing has always been an escape from the stresses of work, a way to disconnect and reconnect with myself. But now, I'm finding it harder to separate my personal and professional life. Every time I go surfing, I might meet a girl who could potentially become a Swella user! So I'm learning to schedule proper time off and, even when I'm in the water, resist the temptation to talk about the app during every session. Otherwise, I'll never truly switch off.

There are also the financial pressures, the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what comes next, and the mental load of constantly having to make decisions and figure everything out on your own. It can sometimes feel quite overwhelming.

But I wouldn't change it. There's something incredibly rewarding about building something from an idea, especially when it's connected to a community and a sport that means so much to you.

For me, Swella is about more than creating an app. It's about contributing to a stronger women's surf community, making it easier for women to experience everything surfing has to offer, wherever they are in the world, and ultimately, helping them feel happier and more connected in the water.

The business side is the reality, but the mission is what makes it all worthwhile. And hopefully, I can continue growing both together.