So as our first Wild Swim Cornwall Weekend of the Summer ended, we waved goodbye to an epic bunch of swim happy Swim Sistas & tried to get a good nights sleep before our early o’clock alarms! After 6 weeks of flat sea and a what seemed like an eternal heatwave the first week of July had somehow turned into the onset of Autumn.

Undeterred we drove on through the mizzle, marvelling at the Devonshire countryside (we don’t get out of Cornwall much in Summer!) and arrived a wee bit after the local swim gang. Hele bay was already awash with colourful Speedo cossies, bobble hats & buzzy chat about cute suits and unseasonable air temperatures. Lovely Anna from Speedo dug into her treasure trove for a matching set of Speedo suits for us all, joy! After wriggling into our bikinis and one pieces under the Hele Bay arches (possibly the most perfect beachside changing ever!), we tracked down and tucked into a queens ransome of M&S cake supplies, before melting into the Hele Bay throng, and eventually into the sea itself. Mission complete!

After a big community dip .. check out the video here .. can you see us? We warmed up with hot drinks and breakfast sandwiches and met loads of lovely locals, before chatting to the Speedo team about Surf Sistas & how Swim Sistas came about during lockdown.

Greg Dennis and William Cooper Mitchell were on hand to capture all the visuals for #outsidersclub and had us back in the water for another swim, and rock hopping for some portrait shots. Fortunately this is our natual habitat, so although if you look too closely we may look a little purple, we were still living our best lives!

Massive thanks to the Hele Bay swim community for such a lovely welcome, we fell in love with your local! In fact the whole coastline in Northern Devon is stunning and we will definitely be back for more exploring!

Check out William and Greg’s work for the Outsiders Club instagram below ..

Many thanks to:

Speedo – https://www.speedo.com/
Gung Ho Creative & Kirsty Hind – https://www.gunghoco.com/
Greg Dennis – https://www.gregdennis.co.uk/
William Cooper Mitchell – https://www.coopermitchell.com/

Our Surf Sistas Surf & Yoga Weekend Retreats are great for all surfing abilities, so its the perfect choice if you are coming with a friend or partner and you are at different stages of your surfing journey but would like a shared experience. Our coaching sessions are divided into small groups tailored to your level and our maximum 1:4 coaching ratio (standard surf schools are 1:8) means that we can really focus in on your surfing goals and help you progress quickly, wether these are your first waves or you are a seasoned surfer.

Choose a Surf & Yoga weekend if you are looking for an easy and fun escape to the coast as a solo traveller, you want to learn to surf in a supportive and friendly environment, you would like to meet some like-minded women or just experience a beautiful part of the UK for the weekend. With great waves on the doorstep, a beautiful 4 star hotel by the beach, attentive surf coaching, and even the option of a ride to/from London, all you need to do is block of a weekend in your diary, book your spot and let us take care of the rest!

If you have a bit more time to spare and are keen to progress your surfing quickly then check out our 4 day Beginner Surf Courses, which run Monday to Friday with Wednesday off for a chance to rest, recover and explore this wonderful corner of Cornwall! Why not take a hike along the stunning wild north cornwall cliffs, take a dip in a quiet cove (we will share our fave swim spots with you), stand up paddleboard or kayak along the Gannel river, hang out in Newquay’s much loved eateries, head to a beachside sauna or treat yourself with a session at one of the local luxury spas.

To keep our weekly courses as inclusive as possible we don’t include accommodation so that you can pick the option that is best for your budget. Drop us an email and we will send you the password to our online list of recommended hotels, airbnb apartments & rooms, B&Bs, hostels, surf lodges & campsites.

Find out more about our 4 day beginner courses and reserve your Early Bird Discount here

Our popular White to Green Improver Course is moving into its 14th year and shows no signs of slowing down. We designed this course as a stepping stone for women who have covered the basics in the white water, have maybe got into a bit of a rut there (or have found themselves back in the white water because surf progression is not always linear!) and want to gain the confidence and techniques to consistently paddle out and catch green waves.

Its a great opportunity to invest some quality time in your surfing progression, if you have been feeling stuck, have lost your mojo or lost confidence this is the perfect course for you! Read more about the course and snap up a £100 Early bird discount here for a limited time only!

Not sure which Surf Sistas Course or experience is right for you? Check out our guide here or drop us an email and we can help you decide.

Its easy to get frustrated when you feel trapped surfing in the white water.  We’ve got some drills you can do to keep yourself motivated and improve your chances of getting onto green waves as soon as the conditions are back in your favour. 

Finding yourself back in the white water can be frustrating when you have moved on to catching green waves.  At Surf Sistas we are always looking for the best conditions and the right time to surf with our students, but sometimes we all just have to make the most of what the wave gods deliver.  White water can still be our friend. In fact it can teach us lots of skills that will help us in our progression from white to green. 

If you find yourself stuck in the white water think of it as an opportunity to practice some skills and give these drills a try. Practicing them will give you a much better chance of catching a green wave when you paddle out back again: 

• Duck diving/ turtle rolls and pushing through the wave :: instead of walking out because it’s shallow enough, get on your board and paddle. Practice whichever technique you need to improve on and start to recognise the best technique for the size and shape of the oncoming wave.

• Wave selection; the good, the bad and the unexpected :: Learning to recognise the good waves from the bad ones comes with practice so always be aware of what works and what doesn’t.

• Angled take offs ::  If you go out back having never practised an angled take off, chances are you will be struggling to catch the wave and may end up doing a sideways James Bond roll over the falls! Practice angled take offs in the white water using your weight to lean into the wave and fix your inside rail into it.

• Riding waves left and right :: When you complete your angled take off you then need to keep that inside rail in the face of the wave (white water or green) so make sure your weight is on that rail through the pop up into standing.

• Length of ride :: Working on where your weight is on the board and adjusting this according to the speed and power of the wave will give you a much longer ride. Shuffle forwards and backwards and play with your stance to feel the difference it makes.  Remember to look where you are going and not at your feet, torso stacked, you want your weight evenly distributed over that stringer; a rogue bum or head sticking out is going to tip you one way or the other!

Try some of these out in your next white water session & let us know how you get on!

#SURFBETTER with #SURFSISTAS

Check out our improver weekends and white to green weeks!

hmmm it’s a bit big for me today ..

We asked Surf Coach & Fitness trainer Ale Munoz to show us a simple routine that anyone can do at home to prepare for an upcoming surf trip.

You don’t need any equipment, just yourself, the floor and maybe a mat.  The tropical beach is optional!

Don’t worry if you don’t usually work-out, Ale has included beginner versions of each exercise. There is no better time to start than now!

Do 3 rounds of the 4 different exercises in each session ..  you are really going to feel the difference if you incorporate this into your routine before you come surfing with us! Let us know how you get on!

Pre Surf Trip Fitness with FitnSalty from Surf Sistas on Vimeo.

Follow Ale on instagram @fitnsalty or join her for a Surfit class in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Filmed by LuSea Films @luseafilms

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.

From Left to right & top to bottom

10 Over Surf Shop is the new surf shop on the block, they have heaps of stuff to choose from for the ladyslider in your life but we particularly love their fin selection

The cutest surf hat to protect the face, eyes and scalp from the sun from Aussie brand Sunbound

Surf & Stay by Veerle Helsen is a stunning book to stow in your van or drool over at home with a coffee – 7 surf road trips to inspire your European travels

A gift voucher to surf your heart out with Surf Sistas next year

Get Analogue with a re-usable 35mm underwater camera from Lomography – perfect for capturing surf trips together

A gorgeous new swimsuit from the curated collection at Made of Water

A C-Monsta, the ultimate wetsuit drying hanger .. we love ours!

Our local surf shop Karma Surf Shop stock an epic array of alternative surf craft – A hand plane makes an awesome pressie for your wave lover

A super soft Sarong from Sea-Kind for tropical adventures (or next Summer!)

Newquay based Sand & Palm offer beautiful hand made custom swimwear in stunning prints

Gift a subscription to an indie surf mag like Seawitches or Emocean from online surf bookstore The Golden Rays

A matcha starter kit from our faves at Newquay’s new tea mecca Tea & Leaves

A Stunning print for the wall by Cornish Surf Photographer Megan Hemsworth

Beautiful ocean inspired jewelry hand made in Cornwall by Catch the Sunrise

Pretty much anything from Finisterre will make a wonderful gift but their cosy robeys are stylin and useful

Pentire Drinks, another Cornish brand we love, botanical non-alcoholic spirits perfect for apres surf

Luxury Microfibre Beach Towels that are 100% recycled – You can find these at Bodyrag! They’re also offering Surf Sistas clients 15% off when you use code surfsistas15 at the checkout

Wild swimmer? Safety and adventure first with an Uludrybags tow float

After watching The Big Sea at the London Surf Film Festival we are all about non neoprene wetsuits, if your gal needs a new suit why not check out the Yulex selection at Srface

This is a story about finding out what you really want in your life, and following that dream

I know the idea of ‘Just follow your dreams’ seems like a faraway fairy tale or a bland quote found on a Pinterest board, but we can step outside societal norms, put down our phones and comparisons to curate our lives to bring us joy. All it takes is a bit of planning and a willingness to do things differently, if you read on, I will show you my personal journey of how I have achieved just that.

A few years ago my life looked very different to how it does today. Today is Wednesday on the last day of November for 2022, the sun is shining and so far, I have attended a friends Yoga class, gone for a surf in clear tropical waters and had a delicious lunch amidst a backdrop of palm trees. 

I have a pretty wonderful life.

I designed it that way, and so can you.

We all have an idea of what our ‘dream life’ would look like, usually something we have stolen from a Pinterest board or Instagram quote, but rarely do we really think about what would actually make us happy, or we dismiss it as not being realistic or practical. We move images of our idyllic life into the folder in our mind marked ‘day dream’.

I did this for years, while attempting to squeeze my life into a perception of what I thought I should be doing, what would make me seem cool, accepted and more importantly enable my Dad not to worry about me.

For over a decade I worked 12 – 14 hour days in the film industry. It was an industry I felt proud to work in, in some way it validated me, making up for my natural state of ‘uncool’ and I did have fun. I loved the creative aspect of my job and the people (to the most extent) who I worked with.

But honestly, I wasn’t very good at it. The high stress problem solving left my nervous system in tatters and my life seemed to swing between the feast and famine financial and emotional situation that goes hand in hand with contract work. 

One day everything seemed to come to a head, I knew I had been unhappy for some time in my chosen profession but on this particular day I received the wakeup call that I needed to make a change, it came in the form of a panic attack. I found myself locked in a bathroom unable to breathe, a supplier had just informed me that a prop we needed to film with the next day was going to be delayed and would be with us in a week. In the normal world this would be fine but in the film industry this was very far from fine. 

So here’s where my journey to a different kind of life began ..

Step 1 – Make a decision to change your life

As I walked down the hall towards my boss’s office to let him know what had happenedI realised that this career that I had fought so hard to get into wasn’t for me. I was so far from happiness I knew something needed to change.

Shortly after that incident I fell into what can be only described as depression, the kind of sadness that makes you regret waking up, that what is the point of anything cloud that can drag you under into a sea of lonely darkness. I felt I had failed in the film industry, yet I had zero other skills. I knew what I didn’t want to do but had no idea what I did.

Step 2 – Get clear on what lights you up

However small or big that may be. Think about all the elements that bring you joy, from a favourite item of clothing to freshly baked bread, and write them all down.

It was in that time that I set about the task of getting clear about what I did like. What was it in the darkness that gave me even the slightest glimmer of light.

I wrote on scraps of paper everything I could think of that really brought me joy, not what I thought I should like but what authentically made me feel lighter. I wrote things like, drinking coffee while sitting in the morning sun, having a chat with someone in a supermarket, fabrics, travel and that feeling of walking into the ocean as the sun sparkles and glints on its turquoise surface.

From these scraps of paper, I began to jigsaw piece together the vision of a life I would love. I designed how I wanted my life to be and got honest about what I didn’t like, (yes I like to be in bed by 10 and no you won’t catch me at big parties.)

Step 3 – Get clear on the limitations you have set for yourself

What is it your mind tells you is possible for so and so, but not for you?

Shortly after deciding what it is you would love your mind will loudly come up with all the reasons why you can’t. Why you should stay small, safe and within the life that society / friends / parents think is best for you. 

It will put up a great argument.

And you will need to overcome that, and that will take bravery, the kind of bravery that puts yourself first above all else and decides that ‘I deserve to live a life that is right for me’, even if it’s scary, even if it means heading into the unknown.

Step 4 – Start small

Start taking the steps that honour yourself and authentically bring you joy, many of these things can be incorporated into your life easily and immediately. If you love fresh flowers on your kitchen table, make it a priority. Have a lipstick that just makes you feel glorious? Wear it to go to the supermarket.

I slowly started to weave into my life the things I was passionate about, I dusted off my fabric collection and made cushions. I wore my favourite dress just to walk in the park and always had chocolate in the house.

Step 5 – Make a plan

Changing your life will not happen overnight, you will need to come up with an escape plan and a financial buffer. The idea of floating off into the life of your dreams in a white linen dress, a wide brimmed hat and the belief that the universe will take care of you, may work for some people, but for most of us, we need a plan. 

Once you are clear on what it is you would love, you need to get practical about what steps will realistically get you there. 

I knew I wanted to live somewhere warm, where I could surf in a bikini and work in a way that was creative but not stressful. I wanted to work with fabrics and more importantly tell the stories of the cultures and people that made them, with a little of my story thrown in for good measure. I started my own business ‘The World in Cushions’ while still working in the film industry and slowly I began squirreling money away, investing and hatching a plan.

Step 6 – Take a leap of faith

Change takes courage, it requires you to step outside your comfort zone and do something different. At some point you will need to take that leap, burn the bridges (or is it boats) and go for it. 

If you don’t try you will never know.

I rented out my flat, packed up my belongings, storing them in my sisters’ garage and with 2 surfboards, one suitcase and many jars of marmalade, I moved to Bali in Indonesia. 

That was 3 years ago.

The beauty of a plan is once you have made it, you just follow the steps and before you know it, you’re in a completely different place, living a completely different life.

Step 7 – Be kind to yourself

Unlike in the movies, things will inevitably come up that will require you to grow and adapt, new challenges will present themselves and a happy ending is, in reality, just a beginning.

As you adapt to your new life be kind to yourself, look back on how far you have come and silently congratulate yourself on a daily basis. 

You have made it, you are living.

I still get moments when I am consumed by sadness, business struggles and bad days, but I have curated my life to suit who I authentically am and what gives me my very best chance of happiness.

Your dream life will likely look very different from mine but take confidence from my journey that whatever it is, it is within reach.

How its going ..

Since moving to Bali, I have surfed some of the most perfect waves in the world and during the pandemic often with just a handful of friends. I have seen the dawn and sunset every day and made new friends that I now cannot imagine my life without.

But most of all I have made friends with me, as I am, a quiet, nature seeking oddball in love with fabrics and surfing.

A big part of my success is down to my business ‘The World in Cushions’ which gives me purpose and investing which allows me to feel I am taking care of my future self. If you would like to know more about my story then please reach out, I love a chat!

Find Antonia

at The World in Cushions – www.theworldincushions.com
or My Investing Project – www.myinvestingproject.com

MY SURFING LIFE is our irregular series profiling women who have changed their lives to make space for more waves