Sisters in the surf. Photo credit @brihorne_

Growing up in the 70’s - yes, I’m showing my age - surf chicks sat on the beach, worked on their tan and watched their boyfriends surf. Pretty tragic really …

I do recall taking my surf mat out at Point Leo, but being dumped every time a wave hit me as my mat buckled in half. Now, I am excited that my daughters have found a love of surfing and that more and more girls are finding ways to get out amongst the waves and make new friends.

Meet the Sisters who Surf the Mornington Peninsula.

What encouraged you to form this group? Was there a particular catalyst?

Even though it is a pretty welcoming vibe down here, we still all experienced feelings of entering a male dominated space where information about surf spots and conditions is sometimes closely guarded. Often we found it difficult to access the information that could help us develop the knowledge and skills we needed to be the surfers we wanted to be.

As beginners, it can be intimidating to even get out there, particularly by yourself. Upon sharing our experiences, we reflected that the feminine could possibly be more conscious of the ocean being an intimidating space. We found common themes of carrying fear around “getting it wrong” and an underlying belief that we “don’t belong there”. Seeing this is a common experience, we wanted to create a space for women to share their journey with others, to not have to do it alone and to feel supported in claiming the space that was waiting for us in the water. We realised the only thing missing from our surf scene down here was a platform for women to connect and we were compelled to create that.

We knew if there was a greater sense of community for our women, it would inspire them to follow their yearning to get out there, to nourish their souls and fill their cups in the water.

We were seeing the wonderful work happening over on the surf coast with women’s boardriders clubs and surf days and we knew our coast was calling for the same. Also, we realised it didn’t matter if we were “good” surfers or not. We still had the capacity to create this community and empower other women.

“We are flabbergasted just how many of us are out there. We have women of all levels of ability and stages of life ...”

How many in your group?

We currently have over 500 members in our private facebook group and it’s rapidly growing. We’re not even a year old yet! It’s not and has never has been about numbers. It’s always been about uniting our local surf sisterhood. We are a grassroots community group and we attempt to ensure that we are all actually women who surf the Peninsula. We are flabbergasted just how many of us are out there. We have women of all levels of ability and stages of life. It’s a wonderfully diverse group, all connected by our obsession with the ocean!

What is the age range?

Everyone.

Reasons for joining?

We put this question out to our members and it was so lovely to hear their shared motivation to find like minded, surf loving friends, gain confidence on their surf journey, to educate themselves about breaks, conditions, water safety and an overwhelming desire to be part of a community. Many wanted to find women they can surf with, talk about surfing with, go on surf trips with, share their development and challenges with, to support and be supported by. It’s really cool knowing how many women were seeking the same thing, so there is an immediate bond even before they meet each other in person!

Can you tell me a few personal stories of how this group has shown support and connection?

In such a short time, there are so many heartwarming stories we hear. From the small (yet very meaningful) things such as sisters leaving things at the beach and them being returned by communicating through the facebook group and giving each other hairties in the water, to the bigger things such as watching connections form through meetups and Maladiction Longboarder club days.

It’s been really inspiring seeing how many women have turned up to do something alone, such as attend a meetup or a surf lesson, and leave with a posse of new surf friends.

We see so many moments of courage. One particular story that stands out is putting a call out for women to join the local surf comp, Maladiction Longboarders, and having 13 women turn up on the day, most saying they were just there to watch. By the time the heats ran, ALL 13 had found the courage to compete, realising that even though most had never competed before and didn’t believe we were “comp ready”, it wasn’t about that, it was about the joy of doing it with our sisters! Sitting out in the water with the girls, we all totally forgot we were in a competition, we were just calling each other into waves and hooting and hollering with glee as we marvelled at getting to surf one of our usually jampacked breaks to ourselves! The influx of women has been so welcomed by the club, who have been calling out for women for many years, and now every event is not only seeing many women surf, but an army of sister support just there to enjoy the day.

Photo credit @greg_fish_n_sup | Gregory Conductier

“Being part of Surf Sisters gives us all confidence to say ‘hello’ to a stranger in the water and share the group with her if she’s not already part of it ...”

There is a definite ripple permeating through our entire surf community too. We have bumper stickers which identify us, so as soon as you pull up in a carpark, fellow sisters will say hello even if you’ve never seen each other before. This has even happened far away from the Peninsula … back when we could travel! Being part of Surf Sisters gives us all confidence to say “hello” to a stranger in the water and share the group with her if she’s not already part of it. So many new connections and friendships are forming at a rapid rate, it would be hard to tell you about all of them! The result of us surfing together more is we are all gaining more confidence and courage and bringing that energy into the lineups. This is reflected by so much positive feedback from the elders of our surf community, the local businesses, the clubs and we even have men who’ve approached us asking for stickers to show their support, or to pass onto their young daughters. It’s really heartwarming how much support is both within and around the group!

What has been the experience of this group during all our Covid lockdowns? How have you managed to continue to support each other?

Even though we’re relatively new, the energy around the birthing of the group was so potent that foundations were laid very quickly. We had opportunities pre-lockdown to connect in person through meetups, comps and excursions on surf camps and lesson days. So many friendships had formed already. Our digital platforms, our private facebook group and our public Instagram account have been super active and everyone is really engaged. In these times we’re all so used to digitalised connection that if that’s the only way we can connect, we will. The facebook group is full of sharing films, articles, musings, celebrating birthdays and just so much community spirit. It’s really fizzy. An absolute space of love and support without the fear that’s emanating through society at the moment. A really joyful way to keep the stoke alive.

“We are pretty spoiled for choice down here, with open ocean waves and, of course, our beloved Westernport Bay ...”

What are your favourite surf spots on the Mornington Peninsula?

We love the Westernport waves such as Pines. The Peninsula is such a great place for surfing, offering waves for beginners right though to advanced.

If you were to recommend the best learn to surf spot, where would it be?

We are pretty spoiled for choice down here, with open ocean waves and, of course, our beloved Westernport Bay. There’s pretty much something for every mood or motivation, whether you’re an experienced surfer who wants to find some shortboard beachbreaks down at Gunnamatta, or some lovely longboard peelers at the Pines. We are a tribe full of soul surfers, so it’s difficult to name a favourite spot per say. It’s often more about tuning in and feeling what type of connection we’re seeking with the ocean at the time.

If someone approaches us wanting to learn, we recommend contacting the beautiful Prue at Eastcoast Surfschool. Prue and her team have been teaching people how to surf in Westernport Bay for many years and we just love her.

Do you have any plans in the pipeline?

There’s lots bubbling away in the cauldron, but right now it’s on a lovely gentle simmer. Lockdowns have put everyone’s plans in slow motion and we’re ok with that. Our goal for this year was to simply focus on community connection and so much more than we expected has already come out of that. We’ve already had a film screening, social and surf meetups, competition days, surf excursions and surf camps. We’re keen to run the event collaborations with local surf coaches that were put on hold when we reentered lockdown. So we are really just excited to get back into the rhythm of in-person connection again. We’re all thinking some t-shirts might be fun.

What would be your dream for how this group could evolve?

We are big believers in flow, as that is the way this wonderful thing that is Peninsula Surf Sisters has developed so far. As much as we have so many hopes and dreams for what this group could be, we also know it’s not up to us. We as the coordination committee understand that we are the space holders and our job is to tune in and listen to the needs of our community, and let that inform it’s evolution. Our members have told us they would love surf days, coaching opportunities, surf trips and social meetups … we’re super keen to collaborate with our local businesses to facilitate what we can for our community.

I would like to thank Jess for her beautiful words, Leyla for co -ordinating and communcating with us and Sarah and Natalia for being hugely supportive sisters in getting one of Peninsula’s Surf Sister's first interviews out in the world.

Connect to this female surf community here : https://www.facebook.com/groups/580305219566326

MEET THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA SURF SISTERS