If You Can Relate to This, You’re Officially a Surf Rat

Angie Surf With Amigas Costa Rica

How did you realize you were truly living the salty awesome life of a surfer?

If you’re in love with surfing as much as we are, you probably find yourself in unique scenarios that your non-surfer friends just don’t understand. Is your shower filled with sand? Have you ever canceled plans for epic waves? Has salt water ever dripped out of your nose during a work meeting?

Surf With Amigas Costa Rica

We recently did a fill-in-the-blank on our Instagram to find out how Amigas knew that they were living the life of a surf rat (a salty-haired, surf obsessed human). Enjoy the following compilation of hilarious submissions about the surf life from fellow Amigas.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A SURF RAT WHEN ____.

“You don’t poop for 4 days because you’re on a surf trip in a van.”

“The last thing you do before going to sleep is check the forecast.”

“You don’t wash your hair because you know you’ll be surfing the next day.”

“Your feet are still sandy when you get to work.”

“You bail on your ‘land friends’ for your ‘ocean friends’ based on the forecast.”

“There is always a perpetual little pile of sand in the shower.”

“You cancel plans with your friends because the waves are pumping.”

Can you relate? Join us on an upcoming retreat to surf + explore with other women who know all about sandy showers and salty hair by clicking HERE.

Watch This Video For Some Female Longboard Inspiration!

Our retreat locations in Northern Nicaragua are situated just a short walk from a big sandy bay with peeling rights and lefts. It’s our favorite playground in the area for both longboarding and shortboarding! With waves for everyone, the bay provides the perfect layout for us to connect to the ocean and just have FUN.

We hope you enjoy this surf video celebrating Amigas of ALL SURF LEVELS, ages, sizes, and backgrounds, catching super cute waves on their longboards in Northern Nicaragua!

 

 

Elevating Female Surfers Who Are Breaking Stereotypes: A Visual Project

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-

Continue reading “Elevating Female Surfers Who Are Breaking Stereotypes: A Visual Project”

Q&A with Holly Beck: From Pro Surfer to Surf Therapy Intern

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 lead surf therapy programs in Southern California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-lzTyldc8UI&feature=youtu.be

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?

Continue reading “Q&A with Holly Beck: From Pro Surfer to Surf Therapy Intern”