Tag: amigas surf

Who Are The Amigas? Q&A with Grace Lee

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WE’RE BACK AGAIN TO CATCH UP WITH MORE ALUMNI AMIGAS THAT YOU MAY KNOW!

THIS MONTH WE’RE CHATTING Q+A STYLE WITH our friend grace who has joined swa retreats with the main goal being to reconnect with herself and to make new connections with others. STAY TUNED FOR MONTHLY STORIES AND UPDATES FROM OUR GOOD FRIENDS ACROSS THE GLOBE.

Q: Think back to when you attended your first SWA retreat. Why did you book that trip? What was that first retreat experience like for you?

I had actually been researching surf retreats and was ready to reserve a spot with a different group in Dominical area.  I asked my friend, Jaime if she was interested in joining me and found that for the exact same week she had already reserved with SWA – so she suggested I tag along with her! Best decision ever!

Q: Now that you’ve been on several SWA retreats, what keeps you coming back?

Holly and her wonderful staff, the awesome women I have met, the great knowledge shared in the clinics/lectures, feeling of community and FUN times! I had lost my connection to surfing for a few years with life happening… the goal for the Costa Rica retreat was to reconnect, which definitely happened. I wasn’t even half way through Costa Rica retreat yet and booked Morocco! The Morocco holistic retreat that I joined took that further and I’m finally feeling like ME again… it’s been a long time and it feels great!

Q: Describe the feeling you get from surfing…

Freedom… that’s the best way I can describe it as it’s difficult to put in words. When you catch a wave, you are in that moment and everything else is drowned out – you feel free and unhindered… as if you are a child again! I giggle riding down the line…!

Q: What are you most passionate about in life right now? The SWA community wants to know!

Making new connections and experiences through surfing, snowboarding, and travel adventures. Spending time with framily (friends + family)!

Q: What is your dream SWA retreat location?

Maldives! New Zealand! Holly knows this 🙂 

Q: What would you tell someone who is about to go on their first SWA retreat?

Continue reading “Who Are The Amigas? Q&A with Grace Lee”

SWA Partners with Non-Profit in Peru to Empower Local Women Through Surf

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Surf With Amigas has a goal of partnering with local non-profits that work to improve the lives of community members in the places we host retreats. Finding a trust-worthy non-profit, working on a project that we want to support, is easier in some places than others.

Luckily for us, our trip leader for the Peruvian retreats, Natalie Small, has been spending quite a bit of time in the country every year for nearly a decade, and has forged many strong relationships with the local women. First traveling to Peru as a tourist with a goal of checking out Machu Picchu in 2013, she fell in love with a seaside town that just happened to be the birthplace of surfing in the region. Natalie is the founder of Groundswell Community Project, a 501-c3 surf therapy organization and created a local chapter in Huanchaco with the goal of healing, empowering, and uniting local women and girls in the waves by making surfing accessible to them.

Surf With Amigas has been able to support the program by buying a quiver of boards for use during our retreats that will be donated to the collective. Two different local shapers made boards to allow the Hermanas to open the very first women-owned, women-run surf school and surf shop in Peru. How rad is that?!

The local women can then use these boards to rent to tourists and use in their community programs, including a bi-weekly surf therapy drop-in for moms and teens. The Hermanas are currently working on getting ISA certified so that they can be surf coaches in Huanchaco.

These boards have given huge opportunity for the local women to be able to be empowered to start their own business in the sea.

Join us on a 2023 Retreat in Peru to support this amazing project and experience the longest left in the world!

Under The Sun in MOROCCO: The Amiga Experience

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Take a behind the scenes look at our Amiga Jaclyn’s first time retreat experience in Morocco!

Hello readers, thank you for being here and partaking in what I am about to share about my magical experience as an Amiga. This past September 2022 I had the great privilege of joining a retreat on my maiden voyage with SWA for their first-week session in Morocco. My name is Jaclyn Burke, and I am a San Diego native born and raised the daughter of a lifeguard and two goofballs that met on the beach during the 70s in a once sleepy surf town.

As a person that has been on many different surf trips, I have normally spent my time planning adventures to many wonderful tropical locations. Surf With Amigas came very highly recommended to me and I was intrigued and curious about the idea of an all-inclusive surf adventure where I just showed up and did not have to plan anything.

I knew wanted to do a surf trip, but I wanted something different.
The moment I saw the trip posted on the SWA website I knew wanted to go to northern AFRICA.

Continue reading “Under The Sun in MOROCCO: The Amiga Experience”

Listen to Holly Beck on the Kookcast Podcast

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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.

Click below to listen!

Founder of Surf with Amigas: Holly Beck