Women Surfers

If we believed the movies and magazines we would assume that surfing is more or less for men only. Isn't it always a ripped dude on a surfboard? Don't advertisers always use a man in the pictures of a surfer barreling along in a tube? But if we look to history for the truth, the fact is women have been surfing for as long as the men - men just took it to a different level and now even that is being matched by more and more women.

In 1819 Mark Twain produced etchings of women in the Polynesian islands surfing - Hawaiian legends are full of stories of women surfers going back to when surfing was first 'discovered' there. Many other areas of the world also have stories of women surfing alongside the men - New Zealand, Easter Island, Tahiti.....all have a history rich with illustrations or tales of women surfers. It was 1920's when women in California first began making their name in the surf and there has been a steady flow of them ever since - from Mary Ann Hawkins to Linda Benson, a surfer who did all the actions shots in the Hollywood movie "Gidget goes Hawaiian", through to Margo Godfrey - the first preeminent woman to go pro in the 1970's. Since then then the Association of Surfing Professionals has included a circuit for women to compete in. Todays list of top women surfers has an international flavor with contenders from the U.S., Brazil, Australia and Hawaii - all of whom can produce the same kind of complex maneuvers as the men.

Initially when women took up surfing there were no products aimed specifically at them - they simply had to use what was made for the men. IN the 1980's and 1990's women made up only 5-8% of the number of surfers, but that number has risen to 15-20% and therefore manufacturers have had to reassess their product lines and have started targeting the female market - providing wetsuits, surfboards and other surf clothing designed for women. There are even schools and camps for women who wish to learn how to surf or who want to enjoy a surfing getaway - some surf shops specialize in goods for women only and even the media has answered the demand for magazine's and advertising that is geared towards women with two magazine's written by and for women surfers. However there are still barriers that have to be removed if women are going to be fully accepted into the world of surf. While it has come a long way there is still evidence that the media are creating the false impression that women who surf are between the ages of 18 and 25 and have lithe, athletic bodies. These are the pictures you see in all of the magazines. But the statistics show that the fastest growing section of women who are taking up surfing are those in their 30's or 40's who are professionals who enjoy surfing for relaxation and excitement.

If the numbers continue the way they are and the industry includes more and more women of all ages, it could soon be a common sight for a woman to be teaching her husband or boyfriend how to surf!

Check out our women surfers list