If you’re on our mailing list, you saw it first! We’ve officially posted ALL 2023 Longboard Surf House retreat dates on the schedule. Join SWA for an epic women’s surf retreat in Costa Rica in April, May, June, or July 2023!
Why so far ahead of time? This retreat location fills up QUICK!
Left point-breaks in the backyard
Delicious food
Refreshing pool
Cute accommodations
Jungle adventures
Plus the usual super frothy SWA team of badass ladies to support and encourage you in the surf!
SWA founder Holly Beck has been running some really cool surf therapy workshops in California, including one specifically designed to address overcoming fear in the water.
Join a small group (max 6 participants) in learning about what fear is, how it shows up in our bodies, some tools to work on managing our reactions when we feel fearful as well as some practical surf tools to minimize feeling fearful in the ocean.
1:1 zoom call with Holly to go over your surf footage (and anything else you want to discuss)
But wait, there’s more! Holly also has surf therapy workshops that address your Inner Critic on March 6th and 12th in San Clemente. CLICK HEREfor all the info.
Even more options:
Mar 3rd: Belonging: Finding Your Place in the Line Up; South County San Diego
Mar 11th: Your Relationship with Your Board & Others; North County San Diego
Mar 18th: Fear and Falling; North County San Diego
Surf With Amigas Founder Holly Beck has many stories to tell. She recently chatted with Coach Chris on the Kookcast podcast to about her life as a professional surfer, owner of Surf With Amigas, and surf therapy facilitator. Listen in on real conversations about women’s surfing, overcoming fear, and more.
When we’re asked to collaborate with a few inspiring women in Northern Costa Rica to support a project that elevates the reality of diverse lineups of female surfers, we immediately said YES.
Our friend Ivana + her team recently created a set of fine photography prints (soon to be transformed into a gorgeous coffee table book) that are being used to tell a different story about women’s surfing than traditional marketing tells. The project is meant to encourage girls and women around the globe to free themselves of stereotypes and limitations of their engagement in sports and recreation.
Below you can learn more about the project from Ivana herself-
After a career as a professional surfer, SWA Founder Holly Beck ran off to Central America to find herself. She built Surf With Amigas (and a family) over the course of 11 years living between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In 2021 she decided to move back to calling California home base.
The ocean was always a place holly went to escape and find healing.
Now, she’s pursuing a Master’s in Counseling on the path to become a licensed surf therapist. She’s interning with Groundswell Community Project and partnered with Jess Ripley to create and leadsurf therapy programs in Southern California.
Q + A with Holly
Q: What do you hope to accomplish in working with women in the world of holistic surf coaching?
A: After spending the last 12 years involved in surf coaching, i’ve realized that beyond the physical tips like looking down the line, putting more weight on the front foot, and all the other common bits of coaching advice that i’m typically giving Amigas, there is often a mental component as well. Whether it’s the un-helpful voice of our inner-critic, a fear of bigger waves, anxiety about getting in someone’s way, etc., there’s a lot going on in our heads that affects our surfing performance. I’ve been really interested in exploring that internal stuff both in my own life and then also adding it to a coaching program to create a more holistic approach to surf coaching that would be even more effective in the water, but also spill over into benefits to someone’s personal life as well.
Q: You’ve made a few big career changes in the past year. Looking forward, what are you most excited about?
Each time you join a SWA retreat, you help to support important projects that impact the local communities aT our retreat locations.
For several years we’ve been supporting an amazing sea turtle conservation project in Punta Banco, a small beach community in Southern Costa Rica near one of our retreat locations. The project not only helps protect turtles from environmental threats and human consumption but also provides work opportunities for locals in the community. During retreats we’ve been lucky enough to watch the organization grow and help release hundreds of baby sea turtles alongside local volunteers.
In the last 7 years the project has been completely in the hands of the local environmental commission, which is part of the Punta Banco neighborhood association. While the focus with other organizations in the past used to be “just” conservation, the project now also tries to leave a positive socio-economic impact on the village community.
Amigas participating in a turtle release
Making the trek
Local volunteer Wilbur releasing a hatch
The project is almost fully funded by private donations which help the organization build hatcheries and pay local volunteers. Click here to learn more about the Punta Banco Sea Turtle Conservation Project and how you can support by adopting a sea turtle nest or donating to the project.
With a gorgeous cliffside backdrop, super stylish surfer, and phenomenal videographer, this windy afternoon in Morocco was a recipe for greatness. Well, now that I think of it, the entire retreat season was destined to be great!
The retreat setup looked like this: We surfed long, peeling rights every single day, then relaxed at the luxury villa in between sessions. We explored old cities and shopped for Moroccan treasures, then slid down sand dunes at sunset. We laughed, cried, danced, and ate a TON of amazing food. For each and every one of us, it was the surf adventure of a lifetime.
Our friends at Seea just released a new short film, “Funboarding”, featuring Leah Dawson- a playful and stylish female surfer who surfs with the wave not on the wave. It’s a short + sweet surf video- full of graceful female surfers and super cute waves.
The idea of hosting SWA retreats in Peru was born in conversation with one of our newest additions to the Surf With Amigas surf instructor team, Natalie. Natalie has been living and surfing in Peru for the past few years where she’s hosted plenty of surf retreats with her non-profit organization, Groundswell Community Project.
The longest left in the world
After chatting about Peru, the waves, the history and the people, Natalie totally stoked us out on holding SWA retreats there and sharing waves in her backyard! The retreat spot, Chicama, is home to the longest left in the world. It was easy to convince the team that it would be EPIC to surf with Amigas on another world class left point break. You know how we love those!
Mary joined us this season at the Southern Costa Rica Longboard Surf House with a few of her closest surf friends. These ladies surfed for hours every day and reminded us that it’s never too late to just go for it and try the things you’ve always dreamed of trying.
“I’m going to turn 70 and really what I think about is that it’s time to do everything that I really want to do. There’s no time a wastin’ here.”
