These are the Top Surf Gear Recs from the SWA Community

on September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 By Emma Roggenkamp

When planning for a surf trip or retreat, packing often becomes overwhelming. There are so many options on the market for surf gear that it’s easy to get lost in the sauce of potential purchases. In this post, we’ve broken down our recommendations, straight from the Amigas community, so you can lose the stress next time you find yourself with an overflowing shopping cart.

SUNSCREEN

All Good – Overall best, multi-use sunscreen. The face sunscreen has a creamy, easy to apply consistency and is sold in an aluminum tin. There are tinted and non-tinted options. Many options for face and body, plus a sunscreen stick that is bound to be your lip’s personal guardian angel. It’s great reef safe, chemical free sunscreen. Our favorite part about this company: it’s female-founded and made in California, USA!

Avasol – We rate this sunscreen best for face, a mineral sunscreen with zero waste packaging! Not to mention, all products are USDA Certified 100% Biobased – that means it’s
completely natural, with no fillers, synthetics or preservatives.

Some other sunscreen favorites include: Summer Lotion, Naif Care and Sunbum mineral

surf with amigas recommendations surf gear

HATS

Kaiola – Our all time favorite surf hat, impeccable design and engineering with small yet strong straps — this hat stays on and keeps you protected. Now available in bucket, visor, and baseball cap styles!

Some other favorites include: Sunward Bound and Dakine

BATHING SUITS

Salt Gypsy – Ethically made Australian swimwear brand, we especially love their surf shorts and rashguards (many come in turtleneck style for extra neck coverage!).

Seea – We rate Seea best for its one piece surf suits, rash guards, unique vintage-inspired styles and great prints! Suits are all California made.

September the Line – Very high quality surf suits, rash guards, and leggings that last long. Timeless, elegant and sustainable!

Dkoko – An amazing women-owned and operated bikini company based out of Costa Rica! Some of our favorite items from this brand include their onesie surf suits (pictured below), and surf leggings (made with a super helpful drawstring so they never fall down).

Jolyn – Our amigas say these suits stay on, have awesome drawstring bottoms and are sold at great price points!

Left on Friday – Long lasting swimwear that performs well in strong surf! Our Amigas recommend the Hi Tide bottoms and Sunday top.

Sensiswim – Our amigas say these suits stay on and last for years!

Carve Designs – Great, supportive tops for bigger chests. Many size options and women-owned!

Sweaty Betty – Our amigas highly recommend Sweaty Betty one pieces.

Oysurf – We love Oysurf for their fun color options and bikini styles that are supportive and snug in the surf.

New SWA Instructor Releases Surf Film

on April 17, 2020July 30, 2023 By chloe piester

One of our newest surf instructors, Florida grom Jazmine Dean, just spent her first season working retreats and adventuring with the Surf With Amigas crew down in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She created this super rad little surf film and just released it last week! Enjoy the film and a note from Jaz below-

Surf with amigas x Jazmine

Pura Vida!

My life changed in the season I spent down here as a first time Surf With Amigas instructor just as much as Amigas often say their lives change during retreats. I’m currently still down in Southern Costa Rica and I’ve spent more consecutive months living here than I have spent living in any other foreign country before. I spend my free days in-between retreats almost the same as I spend my, “work”, days during retreats, and most of my closest friends down here were formed through the connections and roots that SWA has created here in the local community.

This film barely scratches the surface of how this life has reconnected me to my roots as a soul surfer and the good times had. I understand surfing and have for a long time, but these retreats are just as much about personal growth as they are about surfing a wave, and for that, I thank the guests, our Amigas, so much.

I’m most grateful of all for the women I’ve met through the retreats and I took a little from each person I spent time with. It’s possible that some of you reading this were on some of the retreats I worked at and maybe even appear in a scene or two! Anyways, please enjoy the film and thanks for watching.

Pura Vida,

-Jazmine

Travel Dilemmas With Abigail Tirabassi

on August 16, 2016August 16, 2016 By hollybeck27

Abigail Tirabassi is a wandering free spirit who follows her heart to adventures. She’s a musician, a surfer, a yogi, a friend, most commonly found walking barefoot and sweaty down a hot road in the sun, carrying a bag full of coconuts or veggies, wearing a straw hat and an un-buttoned button-up shirt with short shorts to cover a super fit and tanned body. Or so I came across her yesterday, not knowing she was in town. We offered her a ride, but she claimed she was almost there, “lost my shoes at the party“.

I first saw Abi a couple years ago. She was walking out to surf wearing leggings and a flowing long sleeve flannel (always unbuttoned) and carrying a strange looking single fin. I had my doubts about the style, writing her off as another hipster wannabe. Until she hit the water and flowed with unexpected style, grace, and skill along the small peelers. I immediately paddled out and hit her with 20 questions: What’s your name? Where do you live? How long are you here? Have you ever taught surf lessons? Want to work with Surf With Amigas? etc. etc.

I’m sure she thought I was a bit crazy, but the answers to the questions were all positive, and she spent some of 2015 and 2016 hanging out with our team, helping Amigas to get the rides of their lives.

If you know Abi, you’ll enjoy this. If you haven’t met her yet, you’ll certainly be inspired. Check out this story written by Abi herself and posted on our friend’s website. The first paragraph is copied below, but go here for the whole thing and a few more awesome pictures: https://yogatrade.com/to-go-or-to-stay/

The two best things I own right now are my single fin surfboard and a half of croissant that I’m saving for lunch. I’m in a dream — I’m so excited about both. So excited in fact, that I changed my ticket back to the states to indulge. Only by a week. I am a gringa, American woman, living a fulfilling life in Costa Rica but also maintaining a job in California. I also live a fulfilling life in Florida. And life is really, really good. I’m connected to all these places for various reasons, all within the realm of my adulthood, my dreams, my capabilities. Granted, one always knows that one can do more: stay put somewhere, have a farm, make a family, start a new career…but is that me talking?