Girls who surf - Sophie
Where do you usually surf?
Mid Coast and West Coast of South Australia
How did you get into surfing?
Just before I met my partner five years ago, I had purchased my first surfboard, and he happened to be a surfer! So he took me under his wing, chucked me in the deep end (literally), and I've been hooked ever since!
Why did you start surfing?
I have always loved the ocean and found it to be the place I would go whenever I needed clarity. In the water, on the water, or near the water is my happy place. I ALWAYS wanted to surf when I was younger, but my life was dedicated to another sport (and my parents didn’t want to drive me). After I retired from that sport, I was searching for something that was just for the pure enjoyment and love of it—not for competition.
What was your biggest fear when you started?
Getting in other people’s way! I really fear crowds and having to claim my spot in the lineup. I have found this SO hard as a female because I feel so much pressure to paddle out and prove that I’m just as worthy to be out there and catch waves as the men are.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other surfer girls?
CHEER ON YOUR GIRLFRIENDS! There is nothing better than being out with your other surfer girlfriends, wooing each other onto waves, and just bloody frothing over each other. I find this makes even my very average days so much more fun and encouraging, helping me push past my doubts.
Oh, and also, COMMIT! If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my other sport, it’s that it’s way more dangerous to pull out and give it 50% than it is to 100% commit to a wave. Give it everything you’ve got!
Tell us a funny, embarrassing, or inspiring surf story!
I can't think of anything funny, embarrassing, or inspiring, but one of my most memorable surfs ever was in a really remote part of the West Coast of SA. We had been camping there for a couple of days, and there were only three of us surfing the entire time. We surfed for about four to five hours, and the whole time we had a huge pack of dolphins surfing with us, seals popping in and out, schools of salmon swimming around us, and every single wave was as glassy and clear as you could ever imagine.
It was one of those days I wish I could have worn glasses that took photos and videos the whole time to capture it. The adventure, the surf, and the rawness of the ocean are what I love so much about surfing.