Surf Divas

“Diva is a female version of a hustla…” I could not get the Beyonce song out of my head as I lay belly down on the nine-foot red foam board awaiting the lift of a wave. The mid-day sun rested high above the gently swaying palm trees that lined the dreamy California coastline. La Jolla’s shore was awake and bustling with red shorts in training, bikinis tanning, and long boards eager to surf.

“Focus,” I told myself, “you must remember the sequence of moves if you want to ride these waves.” My mind had been clouded with multiple uncertainties lately challenging my ability to concentrate.

It had been two years since I surfed in Australia, and I was hopeful surfing would prove to be like riding a bike. My toes touched the end of the board; my hands firmly gripped the sides. I looked over my left shoulder and saw a wave was fast approaching. “Paddle, paddle, paddle,” said the voice in my head as my arms obeyed with full circular motions slinging water behind me as I edged forward. “Paddle a few times more than you think you should,” Jen, my surf instructor, had told me when she noticed I was attempting to get up before I fully caught the wave. I felt the board lift and I paddled twice more before putting my hands under my ribs. “Push up, jump, feet squared, knees bent.” I was up for a few seconds before belly flopping into the ocean taking in a healthy dose of salt water. I emerged from the water blinded by the sting in my eyes, coughing violently and wondering what I did wrong that time? I struggled to reign in my unruly board by its leash, ready to try again.

I looked around to see how the other divas were doing. Mary was standing up on her board, which didn’t surprise me since she is skilled at yoga and very strong. Aine was getting pounded in the face by a big wave, and Christian was in position, patiently waiting for her perfect wave. I smiled, feeling lucky to have such great girlfriends and felt a surge of girl power.

We had been looking forward to this weekend for weeks eager to escape the cold San Francisco summer for utopian San Diego weather. A fun girl’s weekend away was in order as life over the past year had been hard for all of us. We each faced challenges in our careers and relationships, feeling unsure of which path to take next and asking the question “What are we doing with our lives?” While we were all at individual crossroads, we found comfort in the stability of our friendships. My desire for the weekend was to not only improve my surfing skills while having fun with my girlfriends but to find clarity in the solitude in the sea.

I learned about Surf Diva a few years back and loved the idea of a female focused surf school. Surf culture has historically been dominated by testosterone and while we have the same name, Kelly Slater is a surfer dude not dudette. Surf Diva School is estrogen driven: nurturing, encouraging, emotionally available, secure and fun! We couldn’t have asked for a more positive and safe environment to learn to surf. Our experienced diva instructor, Jen, had been surfing for over 20 years. We attended the two-day Surf Diva Camp, which included demonstrations on the beach followed by two-hours of surf instruction in the water.

Twin sisters Izzy and Coco Tihanyi founded Surf Diva School in 1996. Surf Diva has introduced women of all ages to the sport and spirit of surfing in a fun and encouraging environment taught by professional, educated and passionate surfing instructors. Surf Diva has enjoyed its reputation as the world’s number one surf school for women with locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Costa Rica.

As I made my way back out I did the “stingray shuffle” and laughed remembering the look on Christian’s face when we were told to shuffle your feet through the sand to avoid stepping directly on top of a stingray. With a look of terror, she had said “Oh great, another thing for me to fear!” adding stingrays to her list proceeded by sharks, jellyfish, and rip tides. Despite our individual fears we all agreed that any challenges we face in life are less daunting with your girlfriends by your side.By the end of the first day, we were all standing on our boards in a wide range of ungraceful poses, but we were surfing none-the-less! Being the ambitious divas we are, we were eager to learn new tricks. As women are known to do, we prefer to do things in groups, whether it’s going to the bathroom in a pack or, in this case, catching a “party wave!” “Double-mint fun” Mary termed it when two or more divas caught the same wave. We had quite the party in the ocean that first day!

We awoke on day two to a chilly wet morning and we were reluctant to enter the choppy waters. Our sore muscles pleaded for the hot tub back at the hotel. Jen sat us down in the sand and read us the eulogy of the woman who inspired her to surf. She told us about Rell Sunn, a famous Hawaiian surfer who pioneered women’s professional surfing. Faced with what they saw as frustrating inequities between male and female surfers, Sunn, along with other female surfers, founded the Women’s Professional Surfing Association in 1979.

 I had never heard of Rell but was greatly moved by the words spoken in her memory. I closed my eyes allowing a vivid picture to form in my mind of the woman many referred to as the Queen of Makaha.