Sri Lanka, nestled in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, offers a perfect blend of diverse surf breaks and a unique cultural experience. With a varied coastline made up of easy, deepwater reef breaks and lovely beachies, the island caters to surfers of all levels, from beginners to seasoned pros.

Weligama, Ahangama, and Midigama are renowned for their consistency, each providing the distinct surf conditions that make Sri Lanka an attractive choice for all levels of surfer. Along with the consistency of its swells throughout the year, the appeal of this area – especially between November to March – are the mellow, warm, easy peelers that suit alternative surf craft perfectly. Think long, reeling, chest high waves, perfect for longboards, fishes, mid-lengths and mini-mals.

The winds are predictable, offshore in the mornings – giving us beautiful, glassy conditions until the onshore winds arrive around midday – giving us time to eat, chill, read & rejuvenate with some yoga. And nap, of course. And then, if we’re lucky, the winds can change again, just in time for a sunset surf. 

Oh, and all of this is sans wetsuit. Dream.

From beachfront cafes serving fresh coconuts to the vibrant colors of traditional fishing boats dotting the horizon, the surf experience in Sri Lanka is not just about the waves – it’s a holistic immersion into the island’s traditions.

Beyond the surf, Sri Lanka’s cultural richness and warm hospitality are what really makes this place special. The vibrant local communities, delicious food, ancient temples, wildlife sanctuaries, spice gardens – and the opportunity to explore the lush landscapes and bio-diverse jungle – make Sri Lanka the perfect destination for anyone looking to embrace both adventure and well-being.

And although she’s a legend of the big city lights, Rosie is a grounded soul, creating space to enjoy the ocean through surfing and swimming as well as dedicating time to helping others.

You may be a city dweller yourself, exploring how you balance life as an urbanite with your passion for surfing or swimming. You might find Rosie’s story inspiring and relatable! We chatted to her earlier this year to learn more about her life and her relationship with surfing and the ocean.

Hey Rosie! Tell us about yourself. Where you’re from, what you spending your time doing, and about your vibrant and varied career!

Hi legends! I’m from the south coast of England and basically spend my time between there, London and of course Kernow home of Surf Sistas when I’m in the UK. I love to surf, swim, sail, be very vocal, dance, box and of course go to Yoga. I love writing too, its never a bus man’s holiday for me, I really love everything I do for work and fun. I’ve worked as a journalist for the last 15 years, I started off in TV working on the X Factor and then moved onto being the Fashion and Beauty Director of a few main stream magazines. I’m also a Yoga teacher, trained in positive psychology and I’m an Integrative health coach. I like to make people feel happy! (Find more about Rosie’s work here!)

What motivated you to become an integrative health coach and yoga teacher?

Working as a journalist for some mainstream titles I was lucky enough to travel the world at quite a young age and meet a lot of people that our culture labels as ‘successful.’ The trouble was, it felt like most rich and famous people I had the pleasure of working with had misdiagnosed their own needs and weren’t happy as a result.

I realised we’re often sold lies to essentially make us all consumers. Its felt like consumerism was playing on scarcity mindsets, and making people’s realities very warped. Without getting too heady, I realised I could easily fall into this trap myself. So I dedicated all of my spare time to studying and training over the course of about seven years.

The aim was to make people feel the best they possibly can, no matter what their life situation. You got to have a blast while you last!

When did you first learn to surf? What inspired you to try?

I think it was in my early twenties. Obviously I was that kid who jumped on a body board at any given opportunity but I think in my twenties it was a way of escaping everything I just listed above.

What impact has surfing had on your life?

A huge one. The biggest impact has been the people I’ve met, and the times we spend together. The lifestyle is expansive, abundant and full of laughs that make me think I might die.

Tell us about your time with us at Surf Sistas. What surf Sistas courses/retreats/trips have you been on?

So many highlights! I literally cry laughing just thinking of so many! Surf Sistas have taken me to places I never thought I’d see, pushed me to my edge, and given me friends for life. Once we surfed a point break in Costa Rica and Whale came to visit us. Needless to say I tried to speak whale that day. Every trip fully immerses you in the culture if where ever you go, taking you off the beaten track, in safe hands, really taking  the stress out of seeing places and having new experiences.

How has surf Sistas helped you on your surfing journey?

Big time. I went from wrestling with a crocodile like a kook in the soup, to surfing like a spatch cock chicken, to out back on green waves with their very empowering, professional coaches.

As a health coach and yoga teacher any advice you’d give surfers to stay fit and healthy for surfing year round?

Sadly, be absolutely rigid with checking the Surfers against Sewage app. (Vote wisely folks) You need a lot of flexibility in your hips, shoulders and ankles if you surf, so a regular Yoga practice is super healthy. Surfing gets you into a flow state, so it’s something I’d label a primary food, which is something that nourishes you off the plate. With that being said, its important that we don’t get too hooked on a flow state or primary food, because we can end up neglecting other important areas of our lives. So as with everything, find balance.

Have you got any surf trips or other adventures lined up this year?

I’m running a few retreats abroad this year and teaching at lots of festivals, so it’s a busy summer, but hopefully I’ll squeeze in a trip for me that’s not work related later in the year.

If you’re a London city surfer like Rosie, you’ll love our Cornwall Surf Retreats and Tropical escapes. For our full course calendar – Click Here

Our Surf & Yoga weekends are still our most popular events today, and secretly they are still our faves too. There is something really magical about a group of women escaping to the coast for a few days and making the most of their time away.

If you want a little more insight, here’s 7 reasons to join our Surf & Yoga weekend in Cornwall in 2023.

You don’t need to get time off work

Being a weekend thing, you can hop in the car on Friday, cruise down to Cornwall and be on your way again mid afternoon Sunday. This means you’ll be able to enjoy a mini getaway to the sea without having to use up annual leave!

Another bonus. The dates of our Surf & Yoga courses all fall outside of school holiday season, that means less friday night traffic to battle with! Phew!

If you work weekends, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with beginner and improver courses running during the week.

You’ll receive lots of tailored tuition

With our Surf & Yoga weekends being the original course we started running 20 years ago, we’ve have the know how when it comes to helping you progress your surfing in this time frame. Whether you’re looking for a bit of fun, tips to iron our bad surf habits or want more coaching on catching green waves, our maximum 1:4 coaching ratio means you’ll get specific tuition based on your needs.

When you book a course with us, we’ll ask you to send us info on your surfing ability. From there, we’ll group you with other Surf Sistas based on what you want to get out of the Surf & Yoga weekend, so expect tailored tuition from the get go!

You can come with friends of mixed abilities

This course is for all ability levels as we don’t want you to miss out if you’re only available for a weekend course. Therefore if your friend is charging the green waves but you’re still getting to grips with your pop-up, you can still share the experience together whilst receiving coaching pitched to your level.

Are you and your friends all green wave riders competent at paddling out? If that’s the case, you might enjoy our Intensive Intermediate Weekends, aimed at consolidating your technique and style riding green waves. If you’re unsure of your surfing ability level – read this guide.

Coming alone? Most women on our courses are flying solo, and we aim to provide a non-intimidating supportive environment where you can connect with likeminded salty souls! If you are worried about coming on your own, pop us a message for a friendly chat.

Everything is sorted for you

Life can get busy, we understand. And planning and booking a surf holiday isn’t always straightforward.

Often once you’ve decided dates, you need to book accommodation, organise transport, work out where you’re gonna surf and where to hire board/wetsuits (if you don’t already have equipment). Logistically can be a hassle, especially if you’re planning a weekend trip last minute for a quick escape.

Luckily, our surf and yoga weekends include pretty much everything! Including accommodation, breakfast and a table booking for Saturday night dinner. So you just need to book and get yourself here!

What Included with Accommodation:

• 3 surf lessons tailored to your ability level with our Surf Sistas coaches
• Surfboard rental
• Wetsuit rental
• Yoga for surfers class
• 2 nights accommodation in 4 star beachside hotel in Newquay (choose shared twin/double room or single occupancy double room)
• Use of hotel pool & sauna
• Delicious Breakfasts
• Welcome drink on Saturday evening
• Group table reservation at one of our favourite restaurants on Saturday night
• Surf Sistas host on hand all weekend to help you make the most of your time at the beach and in Newquay!
• Photographs of you surfing in an online gallery to download
• A lovely Surf Sistas goody bag to take home

If you want to organise your own accommodation we also offer a package for Surf & Yoga only. For full details – Click Here

You’ll leave feeling refreshed

You’ll get lot of water time over the weekend – Yay! But surfing is tiring work (in a very relaxing way mind). Your full body will be put through it’s paces. And if you’re returning to the desk on Monday you might be feeling a little stiff. To balance out all that paddling and wave riding, we’ll finish off the weekend with a relaxing Yoga session to stretch out your hard worked body.

Our Yoga Teachers are all surfers themselves, so they’ll be taking you through a surf specific flow. This is also great knowledge to take with you and postures you can use before and after future surfs.

We’ll come get you from London!**

Live in London or thereabouts? We run a shuttle on Friday to transport you down. Plus back on the Sunday afternoon! This can remove the hassle of driving yourself or makes life a lot easier getting to us if you don’t have a car.

**Our shuttle isn’t available in May, as Kate will be in Ibiza heading up our Swimming Retreat. Lucky thing!

It’ll be a right laugh!

Whilst we want to help you improve your surfing ability and ocean confidence as much as possible, the main aim is to have fun in the sea! Our female coaches, have fun warm ups and games up their sleeve to get you relaxed into the weekend. We also don’t take ourselves too seriously, so expect lots of giggles, party waves and wooping throughout the weekend.

Sounds like the course for you? Check out our dates below and hit the booking button for full info and to secure your place!

Surf & Yoga Weekends 2023

19-21 May (Fully Booked)

9-11 June (Limited Spaces)

7-9 July (Spaces)

1-3 Sept (Spaces)

15-17 Sept (Spaces)

Location: Newquay, Cornwall

Got more time on your hands? If you fancy a longer surf trip to Cornwall we offer 4 Day Beginner and 5 Day Improver courses between May and September too! Click Here for our full Calendar.

Gone are the days of badly sunburnt legs, tears and enforced non-surf days on tropical surf trips.  These days we just pop some leggings in our bag and they serve a multitude of purposes.  Just in case you don’t believe us we have listed them below like the crazy surf leggings evangelists that we are.

1. Sun protection is the biggy!  If you surf in a bikini or boardies and have fair skin, the backs of your legs will burn, burn, burn.  This is super painful and can ruin most of your trip if it happens in the first few days.  Don’t take the risk, start in some leggings and let your skin adjust to the glorious sun exposure slowly. 
2. Surf leggings are the ultimate multi-purpose travel pant ..  great for travelling on planes, strolling around towns, covering up when visiting cultural sights,  a must for Yoga classes and the perfect ‘the AC is making my room too cold’ wardrobe solution.  One pair of surf leggings ticks all these boxes and takes up barely any space in your bag.. amazing huh! These are also perfect if you’re joining us on a Surf & Yoga Retreat in Cornwall.
3. They prevent board rash like a super hero.   We’re talking knees, thighs, inner thighs .. anywhere our delicate lady legs rub against the surfboard and wax.  One important tip we learnt recently, make sure there is no sand inside your leggings or you’re pretty much applying extra sand paper to go – you’re welcome!
4. Protecting our modesty ladies, or at least letting us forget for a session about the dangers of wedgies or full bottom reveals.  Good surf leggings are made to stay put and it’s one less wardrobe adjustment to think about as we pop up and charge down the line. 
5. Which brings us to looking good and feeling comfy.  Yes we know surfing is not about what we look like but we are all human and some days it’s just nice to feel stylish in a pair of comfortable leggings and not have to walk around in a bikini.
6. Reef protection. If you get tumbled around on the reef then a thin pair of lycra leggings is not going to help too much but they will surely ward off some minor scrapes and cushion the blow a bit.  They might also help with sea lice, jelly fish stings etc
7. You will get heaps more photos of you surfing.  Any surf photographer will tell you that in a crowded line up an eye catching piece of clothing will get you loads more shots.   Hurrah!

Our friends at 10 Over Surf Shop are now stocking OLAS Surf & Yoga Leggings. They’re made and designed in the UK from 78% recycled polyester from plastic bottles and 22% lycra. These leggings are 4 way stretch giving you maximum flexibility and comfort whether you’re surfing, SUPing, chilling or getting on the yoga mat. They’re also UPF+ 50 so you can surf all day long with maximum sun protection. 

We’ve also gathered together links to our other favourite leggings below. Find them at the bottom of the page.

OLAS
Salt Gypsy | Tide + Seek | 
Seafoam Collection | Billabong

Fancy a Tropical Surf Trip with Surf Sistas? We’re putting together some brand new surf trips for you, to get exclusive first news and early bird discounts, sign up to our newsletter.

If you’re considering joining us for a week of baguettes, barrels and backbends, then here’s the low down on what happens on our surf and yoga retreat…

What’s the yoga like?

We’ll start the day with yoga to get our bodies ready for a day of surfing and finish with a restorative session to soothe surfed-out muscles. If the weather’s playing ball, we make the most of the outdoor areas of our gorgeous French villa.

The yoga we do is surf-specific. This is a surf and yoga retreat, rather than a yoga retreat with some surfing, so we’ll focus on poses that improve your balance, flexibility and strength for surfing.

The yoga is suitable for all levels including newbie yogis. Mats and props are provided, so you only need to bring suitable clothes for getting your stretch on.

What about surfing?

Each day we’ll load up the vans and head to the beach to surf. We’ll surf wherever the waves are best for the abilities in the group. This might be nearby beaches in Hossegor, Seignosse, Biarritz or Hendaye near the border of Spain.

We’ll normally surf twice a day and our professional and fun instructors are always on hand to help you with your surfing. Surf is the focus of our retreat and you’ll have one-on-one time with our instructors to work on your surf goals.

South west France is a great location for all levels, whether you’ve never surfed before, want to hone your technique or simply discover the surf France has to offer.

You can bring your own board and wetsuit if you have them or we can arrange hire.

Délicieux dining!

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are all provided for you by our own Surf Sistas chef! The food is delicious, nutritious and inspired by our amazing location.

We’ll bring your lunch to the beach and you can hang out under our umbrellas on a break from the surf. Lunch is always nourishing and filling enough to fuel your second surf!

Each night we’ll tuck into a delicious home-cooked dinner in our villa. One night we’ll head to a nearby restaurant to sample the local cuisine.

Who comes on the France surf and yoga retreat?

Like-minded women of all ages and surf abilities. Lots of people come on their own, so don’t worry about coming solo. By the end of the week everyone’s got to know each other and bonded over epic waves and wipe-out experiences!

Where we stay – your villa

Our modern villa is the perfect base for a week of surfing, yoga and relaxing!

After surfing we’ll head back to our pad for chill out time, dips and post-surf yoga. It’s a great chance to hang out by our private pool!

The villa is only a few minutes walk over the dunes to the beach, so you can head down to catch a stunning sunset.

Fancy it? Book your spot

These retreats always sell out fast, so if you like the sound of a September session in France secure your spot sooner rather than later! Each retreat includes everything you need to fully relax while surfing and practicing yoga daily in amazing surroundings.

This retreat is all about bringing out our inner mermaids (and mermen – its open to guys too!).  We will be building your confidence in the ocean through improved swim technique, Yoga and an introduction to free-diving.  With mornings spent in our beautiful pool working on technique, and afternoons free-diving and swimming some of the most beautiful spots in Ibiza, this retreat is a real treat for the soul!

Click here for the full lowdown and to book your space and snap up your Early Bird discount!

“There’s a certain magic about travelling with your girlfriends but even better when you get to make eleven new ones! Put a bunch of likeminded adventurers together and you’re bound to have a good time and that’s what we got on our Surf Sistas retreat to Bali. Ten days of sun, waves and great company so that when it came time to come home it was with dragging feet, a fresh tan and a whopping big smile!”

She offers some particularly good advice if you are coming solo and feeling a bit nervous about it.  Remember the majority of our guests do come by themselves so you will always find yourself in good company!

Thanks Caty, we can’t wait to see you in the waves again soon!

www.catyprice.com.au

Surf Sistas Bali Retreats – a few spaces remaining on trips starting 16th April & 14th May – Lets go!