Opinion – Na Pinta do Surfe: The future of women’s surfing

O outside it was a place traditionally occupied by the majority of men and until two decades ago, only men surfed standing up. The closest women to this universe were in the bodyboard and it was a rarity to see a woman with a surfboard.

Things have changed and today women are present, and very present, in the line-up. In all surf spots there are women sharing the waves equally, their presence brought changes in behavior in the water and the vibe it’s totally different.

Today it is common to see women of all ages learning, surfing, having fun and competing. They are on all beaches in Brazil and the world.

It’s really cool to see this transformation. Today they travel the world looking for the best waves. All this makes the evolution of women’s surfing to advance at great strides and we are already getting ready to fight (and strong) for our dreamed and desired first women’s world title.

Andrea Lopes and Silvana Lima were for a long time our representatives in the disputes and responsible for this advance of Brazilian competition surfing. They were tireless and very important to bring women’s surfing to this moment. If for a Brazilian surfer it was already complicated to be able to make a living from surfing, for women it was almost impossible to imagine.

But it seems that now things have fallen into place and everything is heading for women’s surfing to definitely occupy its prominent place. The WSL – World Surf League – the main surfing league in the world matched the women’s awards to the men’s category and incorporated the same waves played in the circuit stages for the categories. Now the most feared and dangerous waves like Teahupo’o and Pipeline are surfed by them too. Of course, there is a lot of care for this evolution to be growing and that’s why the analysis of the conditions are still important for the calls of female drums. They have been showing a lot of attitude, courage and responsibility because they know the importance of this moment.

But women have already shown that they can surf any type and size of wave they want. Surfer Maya Gabeira is the clear example that if a woman wants to catch the biggest wave, she can. In 2018 she surfed a 20.7 meter wave – on Nazaré beach in Portugal and entered the record books, repeating the feat again two years later where she surfed a 23.5 meter wave on the same beach. She is the only female surfer with two Guinness World Records for longest wave surfed. With focus, dedication, commitment and training everything is possible.

On the world circuit, Tatiana Weston-Webb is the Brazilian representative and ended this year in 4th position. She has been improving her surfing a lot and is ready to fight for the title again and who knows if she will become the first Brazilian world champion. All this movement has awakened a shower of new promises. It looks like a new “storm” is brewing. We have some very young surfers who have been dedicating themselves and preparing to join the world surfing elite.

Sophia Medina, 17 years old (sister of three-time world champion Gabriel Medina) and Isabelle Nalu, 14 years old (daughter of Everaldo Pato, big wave surfer) are the biggest highlights of Brazilian women’s surfing today. Both already work as professionals and have sponsorships from major brands and strong supporters. Their cutting-edge career-oriented training, experience and family DNA make them potential candidates to soon join the world’s surfing elite. All this movement makes very young girls mirror themselves and want to follow in these footsteps, these examples have taken them to a universe that seems normal for this generation. How good it is that you can see someone doing something great and think: I want to do this, I can do this, I will do this.

It’s amazing how having identification with a reference makes everything more believable.

For a surfer father who is passionate about the sport, it’s a lovely feeling to see my 3-year-old daughter sharing the same toy with her brother, one year older, the same toy: a surfboard. It is really gratifying to know that women have conquered their spaces and today children can look at any sport without fear of judgment and, more than that, with the certainty that they can perform.

I wish that all women who fought for their space outside and inside the water can be sure that everything they did was not in vain and that only with resilience is it possible to change something.

Thank you so much to veteran and contemporary surfers for everything you’ve done and are doing for the sport, you guys are amazing.

aloha