a magazine for surfing females.
Welcome all! In light of all these winter storms and the water growing ever colder here in the UK - we thought some stories of even chillier climes would inspire you all to persevere with what feels just about as cold as it can get and keep surfing those winter waves! There’s a bit to warm you all up too, Costa Rica and Madeiran travels, Read on, and enjoy...
UNTAMED / PROTECT OUR OCEANS / COSTA RICA / SURFING SWEDEN / SURF GROUPIE?
Photo: Gemma Chalmers.
Photo: courtesy of Emma-Jane Eeles.
Untamed
Situated at the bottom end of your world map, snuggled underneath Australia you will find a little island in the shape of a heart... That island is Tasmania, and it is my home. The water here is cold, there are more cloudy days than there are sunny, and in winter - and sometimes in summer too - the mountains are sprinkled with snow. There is an incredible uniqueness about the untamed wilderness that spans Tasmania, and our oceans and beaches here are no exception to that.
I started surfing in Tasmania 5 years ago. I enjoy the freedom of jumping in my car and heading in a direction with just me, my boards and a tent to somewhere I know where the swell and wind directions will be just perfect for me and turning up to a deserted car park and just jumping in, knowing that it’s just me and the elements at work. You really feel alive as you take off on a wave in freezing cold water as the rain pelts down on the ocean and clouds swirl overhead in the impending wind making little ripples all around you. You are truly humbled by the beauty of nature that surrounds you and you completely surrender yourself to the elements, trusting in yourself and your surroundings entirely.
Surfing in cold water and cold climates makes you appreciate the little things, like nature, solitude and freedom, and when you take off on that last wave and jump out of the water and look up to the sky to see the sun peeking from behind a grey cloud, you realise just how truly blessed you are to be a surfer.
Emma-Jane, Tasmania, Australia.
Protect
Our
Oceans As our world changes it’s important to learn about the environments that surround us, for instance; the ocean. A great way to learn about the ocean and to understand how it works and to be comfortable in it, is snorkelling. You get to see the flora and fauna that live there with your own two eyes. As climate change is becoming more of a problem, and our ocean temperature is rising we need to move and FAST. In order to best manage the ocean we need to be educated about it, so here’s what I think...
Photo: courtesy of Indi Purnell
Protect
Our
Oceans Photo: courtesy of Indi Purnell
Indi’s guide to looking after the ocean... 1. Don’t buy products that exploit marine life e.g. Some jewellery, shark products, etc. 2. Reduce energy consumption Simple things like turning your lights off when not needed, think to put a jumper on before turning on the heater, instead of using a lift, take the stairs, 3. Use fewer plastic products unfortunately a lot ends up in the ocean which is a hazard for animals such as turtles and dolphins. 4. Leave nothing but footprintss 5. Help out when there are beachClean Up Days. 6. Support Organisations that are trying to keep our oceans alive 7. Try to not eat as much seafood. Just these few things can make a BIG difference. Indi Purnell, Australia.
OPENS 22ND MARCH
Slideshow reader Millie Wilkins recently TOOK A TRIP Costa Rica. Here are her two weeks of wave-sliding illustrated...
Artwork: Courtesy of Millie Wilkins. http://milliewilkins.tumblr.com/
Photo & artwork: Courtesy of Millie Wilkins. http://milliewilkins.tumblr.com/
SURFing sweden In Sweden there is no ground swell, we have to put our faith in strong onshore winds, which usually occur during the cold and dark winter months.
Photos: Courtesy of Angelica FranzĂŠn, www.surfsyster.se
SURFing sweden
Surfing in Sweden is cold. The waves are far from the best in the world. The water is more black than turquoise. But there is a special sparkle to the surf here. It took me at least a year to start appreciate the waves that my homeland had to offer but now my love for it is growing stronger every hour in the water. There is something special about checking the wind forcast every hour, putting on layers and layers of neoprene just to get a couple of hours on a stormy and grey sea. Maybe you have company from a seal, or another female surfer, which is still a rare commodity here, or just your own thoughts and the nature. Perhaps you get a couple of short rides, or just some wipeouts, before you get back home where you will have to get the heat back in your frozen limbs in a
Photos: Courtesy of Angelica FranzĂŠn, www.surfsyster.se
hot bath for at least an hour. But then there are those rare occasions, when the wind is strong enough, but not too strong and it comes from the exact right direction. The weather is perfect, the sun competes with the rain and the rainbows succeed each other. All of a sudden the waves are clean, head high and with a bit of push to them. You get wave after wave and the smile on your face is so big your cheeks start to hurt. It feels like you have found a lost treasure. One of these surf sessions makes up for 20 not so perfect ones. This is why I still surf here in Sweden. Why I put up with days when the wind and rain blurs my sight and my toes hurt from the cold water. The days when the waves are perfect are not common, but when it happens it is pure happiness. Angelica FranzĂŠn, Halmstad, Sweden,
www.surfsyster.se
surf groupie?
Photos: Jose Peralta.
If you happen to be in possession of a boyfriend who surfs, and let’s just say, for arguments sake that he is more experienced than you, and thus you find yourself out of your comfort zone on the waves that he loves to surf. Here you can do one of three things: 1 - Opt to push your boundaries and try to paddle out on the big wave days, 2 - Keep your fingers crossed that the swell will drop and that you can surf the more bitesized ones 3 - Follow him around like a stalker taking photos of his every wave. I’ve just been to Madeira and option 3 was employed most of the time, due to the abundance of over-sized, freight-train, boulder bottom point breaks. But there was one glorious day where the swell just had a little lull
surf groupie?
Photo: Jose Peralta.
surf groupie?
and it was the girls’ turn to play. We surfed Machico, the two girls and our boys (before we were bombarded by a group of wave-hungry groms) and it was a dream!
Photos: Gemma Chalmers / Kit Stokes.
Also, as resourceful as we are, we created a 4th option to keep ourselves occupied. This consisted of a wonderful combination of longskate boarding in Jardim do Mar, backgammon, sampling endless Portugese pastries and coffee, and a rekindled affection for the childhood
surf groupie?
game - Uno. Although I think it’s fair to say we tweaked the rules a little for our amusement. If anything, being a ‘groupie’ is more of an educational experience than a complaint. You can use the time while your boys are getting rinsed to explore new things, try new skills and maybe, if you’re lucky, surf yourself. Caroline Wylie, Algarve, Portugal
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