I Didn't Start Surfing with the Women Soulful Surf, Surf School.

So why am I sharing my story?

Hiii, I’m Mel, and I’m here to tell you about my surfing journey. It didn’t start with Women Soulful Surf or any other women’s surf school and let me tell you, it was a rough start. I don’t know if this is what Helena thought she was getting when she asked me to write this, but it is how it happened. 

Hii, I'm Mel and this is me, the happiest when in the water.

It started with kid’s surf lessons… but not with the Women Soulful Surf, Surf School. 

I started surfing young - primary school age, through an after-school sports program. We’d pile down to Blacksmiths Beach, one of the best beaches to learn to surf in Newcastle, with a surf school and spend hours in the white wash. Just absolute chaos. Wipeouts. Laughing. Sand everywhere. No pressure. Just play.

My dad was a surfer, and I idolised him. Watching him surf, then having him watch me learn felt really special. I picked it up quickly, tiny, fearless, bendy, no idea what fear even was yet. Dad bought me my first board: a hot pink soft top covered in flowers. Iconic. It's still floating around to this day. And then… I think that’s where the fun ended.

Because if you’ve had a surf-dad, you already know. Expectations arrived. Big ones. Some girls push through that. I did not (soz Dad, if you end up reading this). I don’t remember the exact moment I stopped loving surfing, but I had to choose between surfing white wash by myself or surfing out the back where I was scared… I chose option three: quitting. So I stored my hot pink soft top in the garage.

I tried again in high school. Once. Turns out a hot pink floral foamie does absolutely nothing for your confidence at that age. Shocking. So I stopped again. Worrying about what other people think is powerful like that.

Surf Journey 2.0

Fast forward to Covid. Remember when surfing became one of the only things you were allowed to do? Suddenly, my hot pink soft top was back in circulation. I watched my boyfriend at the time and his friends take her out, and sat watching and thinking, wait… they’ve made my soft top cool again. And just like that, Surf Journey 2.0 was born.

By now, I had more ocean awareness, I was a surfer’s girlfriend, professional beach sitter, lineup watcher, wave analyser, occasional filmer. I had learnt the conditions… I just wasn’t in the water.

And learning again felt weirdly familiar. The expectations were still there. I still felt like I had to keep up with the boys. If I wanted to surf with people, I had to surf their waves. There was very little compromise. “Mel-sized” waves were rare. At the time, I hadn’t heard of Women’s Soulful Surf. Maybe Helena had just started it, maybe not yet. All I knew was that something was missing. I didn’t need to be pushed harder. I needed to feel supported. Looking back, I really wish there had been a women’s surf school around then.

Then suddenly, I could see that there were local women surfing, learning, falling off, laughing and cheering each other on. And I was like, excuse me?? What is this and how do I join immediately?

It was Women Soulful Surf. I had my eye on the Salty Magic half day retreats, but timing never worked. Then I moved to Coffs Harbour for uni, and that’s where surfing changed for me. 

Because in Coffs, I found my surf community. And let me tell you, being cheered on by women in the lineup does something to your nervous system. You paddle for waves you wouldn’t normally try. You fall and laugh instead of spiralling. You feel brave. You feel held. You feel… invincible. Not because you’re suddenly fearless, but because you feel safe.

Me and my hot pink soft top out to rule the world, feeling supported by the girls in the water.

That’s the magic I see in the Women’s Soulful Surf community now. It’s everything I wish I’d had when I was learning, instead of the very masculine, performance-driven energy I grew up around -  love my dad and the help the boys gave, truly, but sometimes a girl just needs nurturing souls and zero judgement. A space where questions are welcome, wipeouts are celebrated, and progress looks different for everyone.

Being part of this community now feels full circle. I’ve worked on the retreats and helped out at surf programs, and let me tell you, watching women light up after a session is everything.  Glowing, salty, confident, happy. I am so proud to be part of something I never had while learning to surf.

I’ve also recently relearned the joy of grabbing a soft top, surfing the white wash, and letting go of all the pressure. It takes me right back to that little girl at Blacksmiths Beach, my hot pink soft top, no expectations, just chaos, giggles and pure joy.. And honestly? That’s how surfing was always meant to feel.  Because the white wash is where confidence is built, wipeouts included, judgement excluded (if only teenage Mel was told this). 

If you’ve been wanting to start, ask yourself: what’s holding me back? Fear? Embarrassment? Lack of confidence? Or the sneaky belief that everyone else knows exactly what they’re doing? Newsflash: we don’t. We’re all learning. Everyone has felt exactly what you’re feeling right now.

But the moment you let yourself have fun… the moment you let your inner child run wild… that’s when the magic really kicks in. 🌊✨

So, if you’re waiting for a sign that you belong in the water, this is it,  because finally, Women Soulful Surf has created the space for us all, whether it be through the surf school, or maybe a surf retreat, social surfs, or salty magic sundays. There is space for our inner child, to ditch the pressure, grab a soft top, laugh loudly, and remember that surfing was never meant to be that serious.

Love Mel x