What She Said..

 We help parents and carers reconnect with their love of surfing while connecting with a likeminded, ocean-loving community of families in their local area.  The results? Often life changing for parents and kids alike:

"Surfing Mums keeps me anchored when I feel like I'm a drift on the sea of life. Surfing Mums has taught me to not to fight the waves of life, but to learn to surf them and go with the flow. Surfing Mums has taught me to live out of my depth and trust the ocean will keep me a float. Love you Surfing Mums xxx” ~ Angie

"There is so much I LOVE about Surfing Mums! It's ocean therapy with a whole village of parents who FROTH! I feel so lucky to be part of this amazing community” ~ Elke

"Oh my goodness, where to start...The ocean, the surfing, the kids meeting new mates, and learning that mum can still do her thing. The kids loving their time in the salt and sand, that time in the ocean knowing you’ve got that time just for you, the salt, the sun. The feeling you get after that you’ve had adult company, you’ve moved, you’ve had ocean therapy, but most of all the village - the group of women that make up this group...The shared love of the ocean, the friendships, the support. So freakin’ grateful.” ~ Ange

"Surfing Mums is knowing that no matter how my week has been with my baby I get a dedicated hour to myself that I know I deserve. Paddling out with other surf mums who boost your self esteem and encourage you to go big is the best. When on the beach, I get to enjoy frothing little grommets playing with each other, smiling, eating lots of snacks and occasionally crying needing cuddles. But most of all when I’m there, the other Surfing Mums have my back and cuddle my baby and encourage me to have a break when they know I clearly need it. In a few years time not only will I have built some solid friendships but so will my son, and that’s a win for both of us in my eyes. Happy grom, stoked mum.” ~ Katelyn

"Today at school drop off I literally had tears of frustration and wasn’t coping amazingly with what really was just a typical morning with little ones. All I could think of was, thank God I’m about to go to Surfing Mums, they’ll sort me out. And they did. For a moment I imagined what the day would be like if it wasn’t a surf day... let’s just say, I was so glad it was. Life changing community!!” ~ Liza

"The sun, the sea, the time to be free.” ~ Ally

"It's time out for myself from being a mum, being a wife, life in general. I love that when I’m out waiting for the next set the whole world stops, my mind stops. All I focus on is the ebb and flow of the ocean below my board and the next rush I’ll get. My kids love getting sandy and salty and sunkissed. We are all better people from having Surfing Mums in our lives” ~ Jess

"I love that we share the same passion to get salty and surf in any conditions! I love that my kids have fun with other kids with the ocean at their side. Everyone is smiling or laughing after every wave and are simply stoked to be there. It gives you a drive to get through motherhood within a like minded community. Surf Mums are AWESOME.” ~ Jacky

"Women helping women regain themselves so that they can feel and be fulfilled, excited, happy mamas.” ~ Meri

"Surfing Mums gives me the confidence needed to face the week. I carry the bliss for days and my whole family can feel the difference.” ~ Jessica

“I’ve travelled the globe with Surfing Mums. I’ve laughed so hard with Surfing Mums. I’ve cried deep pain with Surfing Mums. I’ve leaned in for advice from Surfing Mums. I’ve become more me with Surfing Mums. 2020 - ten years as a Surfing Mum!” ~ Cara

"Surfing Mums: Sanity! Connection! Support!” ~ Ames

"I love Surfing Mums! The best gig I've ever been apart of, no joke! These people are my inspiration and are so encouraging both in and out of the water. Surfing Mums has given me that outlet to feel free and salty, and all my kids like it too.” ~ Michelle

“Surfing Mums has encouraged me to get back into surfing after several years off the board and I'm loving it. I really look forward to my Wednesdays in the water and catching up with lovely people.” ~ Vicky

"Guilt free me time, doing what I love while my son has a ball running amok on the beach. It’s a win/win!” ~ Chloe

“Being encouraged to do what we all love doing/learning to do/trying to do with the best group of Mum (& Dad) friends a mumma could ask for. Sharing the highs of a good wave together, laughing at the bad waves together, and having each other’s back in and out of the water. Can’t imagine life without Surfing Mums!” ~ Sam

"My kids and I have made lifelong friends. We have a deep connection through our passion for surfing and realising it had to continue even when our beautiful babies came along. Long live surfing mums.” ~ Claire

"Surfing mums is ocean therapy for all. Today it was a mission getting down to the beach, but once I pulled up in car park help came at me from every angle from our group. So much love to be had = happy mum and kids.” ~ Linda

"Surfing Mums is a community of total acceptance and sharing. We accept all beliefs and cultures and learn from each other every day, in the surf and as parents and humans” ~ Erika

"The best thing about Surfing Mums is haring the stoke in the water with some rad women and having a regular surf date, no excuses!” ~ Jill

“Meeting other lovely women who enjoy the stoke of kids and waves.” ~ Prue

"Being in the water knowing your little people are having just as much fun as you are.” ~ Annie

"Surfing Mums makes me feel like I still matter – even as a mum in my 40’s!” ~ Kellie

"What do I love about Surfing Mums? The connection with like minded people both in and out of the water, the support, love and guidance, thefroth and the stoke, the good times and the not so good. I believe this connection is made deeper and more authentic by our shared love of the ocean. Stay salty xxx” ~ Clare

"I love that when life makes it difficult to attend Surfing Mums I can pop in and still be welcomed, included and valued.” ~ Kay

"Surfing Mums gives you the chance to do something that makes you, YOU! I love surfing. I love hanging at the beach with my boys. I love meeting other like minded inspirational women. It’s the perfect day out.” ~ Sarah

"I love surfing mums! The women are my inspiration and are so encouraging both in and out of the water! All the kids have active healthy mums and that is such a great example for them too.” ~ Michelle

"Surfing Mums is a place where I can spend quality time with beautiful like-minded humans and actually share the mutual love and exhilaration of being in the ocean. To know you can participate in an activity that is nourishing for your soul and makes you feel alive, while your cherubs are loving beach life with friends is so special. It’s also an incredible opportunity to role model the importance of health, fitness and self-care. So blessed to be part of it all ♥” ~ Ness

"Surfing Mums has helped me get back into the water (my passion) after kids. I’ve loved meeting like minded mums in the same position. We have had the best adventures.” ~ Prue

"Because there is nothing as special as hearing your son hoot for you when you get a good wave. ‘Gomarm!’ ~ Sea ♥

"Surfing Mums is so much more than catching a good wave. It's about sharing life in a like minded community and supporting each other. It's been the best thing I've been a part of, especially since becoming a mother of 3!” ~ Michelle 

"One of my favourite things is the kids watching their mums go for a surf and those images being implanted in their little brains. I walked past a rack of wetsuits the other day and said to my daughter, without thinking, ‘those are all the boys wetsuits.’ She turned to me puzzled and said ‘but where are the mums ones’? We are doing so much good for our kids while doing so much good for ourselves. Thanks Surfing Mums, we love you.” ~ Leanne

"I love the mums. Everything about Surfing Mums is awesome - the way it is set up so that you get to have some time to surf and your kids get to play with their friends. But the best bit for me is for sure the amazing mums. There is something about parents who still value and prioritise having some fun themselves. It’s not a meet up to have coffee and talk ‘kids’ (although you can do that). It’s not about working out because they ‘have’ to. These are people that still love to play, feel the stoke, and beam after an hour on the water and get excited about the next plan for a mum’s play date. It flows through into the rest of their lives, meaning these mums are actually fun to be around. It’s so refreshing! I know that any parent I meet through Surfing Mums will have this same quality and is just the kind of person I want my kids and I to be in the company of. I feel like it took me a long time to find my tribe, but I am so grateful that I have.” ~ Louise

"Surfing mums saved me. It saved me from singing nursery rhymes in cold dark spaces, saved me from the poo rants and boring sleepless chats, it saved me from the mouse wheel of parenting, it saved me from drowning in my lonely home with my big walls and the slow tick of time. I found myself with Surfing Mums. I found my true authentic self, I found my feminine energy. I harnessed my love for the ocean, I dove deeper into understanding who I am, all with the support of some amazing mums, my village, my tribe, my kids childhood unplugged.” ~ Sky

"Having that time to yourself and pushing the refresh button means I can be the best version of myself for my kids. Doing something I absolutely love with other legendary mums and dads is just a bonus.” ~ Danni

“I love to see that there are so many Surfing Mums, loving their kids and enjoying the freedom this sport gives you. You remind me every day of my next surfing trips and I can’t wait to be in the ocean again soon and surfing.” ~ Mare

“I love the sense of belonging and community. Having a bad morning with the babes? It’s all good cause you know there’s a bunch of chilled mamas and their kids waiting for you at the beach ready to save the day! I love that when I'm out in the water it’s completely for me, and genuinely the only time I don’t think about the kids. It’s so much fun being out in the water with the girls, it makes me feel like a kid. Most of all I love that everyone gets stoked for each other. Joining Surfing Mums has honestly been so special. Such an awesome idea! ~ Bec

"I have met lifelong friends that share the same interests through Surfing Mums – it was a real lifesaver when my kids were little. The support was fantastic, with the added bonus of being able to go for a surf!” ~ Michelle

"Parenting young children can be pretty challenging and isolating at times, and unfortunately surfing’s not a sport like cycling where you can just add a babyseat and off you go, kid in tow. The combo of not surfing or having ‘me time’ was making me feel a bit blah. Finding a set time each week to dedicate to getting back in the water with a gathering of mums all eager to look after the little ones, share kid tips, and generally be an awesome all-round backup team made all the difference.” ~ Kas

"My youngest loved going to Surfing Mums so much he used to call it Surfing Babies and corrected me whenever I mentioned it. He thought it was all about him – getting together with a gang of kids, snacking, swapping toys, making sandcastles, and basically having the ultimate beach playdate. And in many ways it was all about him – by regaining free time to surf, I could return to land a brighter, happier mum with more energy to give.” ~ Carolyn

"I still remember how stoked I was after my first SM surf. I was kicking myself that I didn’t join earlier, I realized how much surfing I had missed out on. It was amazing to be consistently back in the water. Now, 2 years on, I am even more stoked with the awesome water women I have met and become great friends with; we surf, we laugh, we picnic, we wine, we dine and most of all, we have fun! Thanks SM." ~ Grace

There’s a group of legends down by the sea,

Full of good vibes with hearts so free,

They share the stoke day after day,

Whether the waves be big or it’s flat as a bay,

They have so much love to share so wide, I

t pours in to your life like a big king tide,

Encouragement to get back on your board,

And big ‘yahoos’ for the waves you’ve scored,

In the water and on the land,

They’ll have your back and make life grand,

With sandy toes and salty skin,

These legends will always make you grin,

There’s no where else I’d rather be,

Than hanging with Surfing Mums for eternity.

Laura Henry

Being a ‘Surfing Mum’ (personal experience), by Ellie Whitefield

As we hiked down the long track from the beach, the toddler had another tantrum, a bike was thrown down the hill and more toys were spilled as a mother attempted to hold a two year old, her board, the beach umbrella and a number of sand buckets and trucks. She turned to look at me through tired eyes, as I struggled with the pram holding my board and a bag of baby items, and sighed ‘Sometimes. Sometimes, I wonder whether it’s all worth it’.

I knew exactly what she meant. Sometimes, it was just such a bloody mission. Baby poo explosions on the way to the beach, the sticky sand covered children, the tantrums and runaways, and then of course by the time it’s your turn the surf is a blown out mess. Before I became a mum, being a mum and being a surfer seemed like a mutually exclusive conundrum to me. Babies are breakable so they can’t be dragged out on your board with you and tying them up on the beach with the dog is very frowned upon. I was excited to find out I was pregnant but unprepared for the process. I think I wanted the baby to be ‘wombed’ somewhere else so I could keep my body and surfing just for a bit longer. Surfing is a selfish sport; any surfer who has spent 20 minutes paddling with the line-up to get snaked on the next set wave knows that. It sounds like a cruisey, relaxing pastime but there is a real intensity and urgency with surfing and the never ending itch of the ‘next wave’. 

After having my daughter (and being out of the water for two months), I was struck with a double whammy of identity crises. First, the intense transition from independent me, to me with a dependent and being a ‘mum’. Secondly, the crisis of not being a water person. I felt like a dried out land crab who now didn’t know where the best banks were and what the local crew were doing: completely excluded from my circle of friends known as ‘the boys’ thanks to no surfing and no drinking. I felt it all with help from those postpartum hormones and fell into a period of depression.  But as sure as the tide pushes in and out, out of the pits of despair comes hope. 

Surfing Mums was a lifesaver for me as it has been (and will be) for many other mums (and dads) I know. Not only are we all there because we share a love for surfing and the ocean but also because we are parents and we get it. I’ve surfed one-foot slop with strong onshores and enjoyed every single minute of that one hour of quiet time. Other days I’ve begrudgingly left the ocean whilst it’s pumping to go swap with my buddy forgetting my torment minutes later after watching the kids and hanging with the other parents. I’ve occasionally overstayed my hour by ten minutes trying to get that one good wave in and sprinted up to the meeting area with fear of being rejected by the cohort only to see smiling and understanding faces.  

Akin to surfing, parenthood is unpredictable. Some days it feels like the entire ocean is unleashing pounding set waves on your head as you batter around like a rag doll struggling for a breath or a break (just to pee in bloody peace). And other days, the sun is shining, it’s glassy and three foot uncrowded perfection; you’re in flow with the ocean and the waves and everything is great.  It’s in those moments you have to just soak it all in. The sun kissing your back, the crystal clear water, children’s laughter, and that one perfect hour in the ocean. Sometimes that’s the
only medicine. 

A second after my friend had wondered whether it was all worth it. She smiled and with a glint in her eye as if her mind was reminiscing about those perfect cutbacks she had said ‘Yeah! It is’ and she bent down to pick up yet another dropped toy and deal with a bike thrown down off the edge of the track. So if you are about to embark on the big adventure of parenthood, or already have a little person but want to stroke back into some ‘me’ time. Surfing Mums (and Dads) is sometimes a mission, but ALWAYS worth it.

Loaded up like packhorses; boards, babies on hips, sand toys, beach umbrellas and a screaming toddler in tow. Off to the beach we go. It’s not easy by any means, but surfing is our sanity, a daily hit of serenity.