At Rising Tides event, pros and icons mentor next generation of surf girls
Layne Beachley, an Australian former professional surfer who won 7 world titles, gives some words of encouragement to a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Professional surfing is about more than being a good surfer, said Layne Beachley, who was at the top of her sport for many years.
Put your heart and soul into everything you do and have a good work ethic. What you do out of the water will determine the results in the water. And the most fundamental principle of surfing – have fun.
“I learned a lot more from my losses then I did my wins,” said Beachley, the women’s surfing world champion from 1998 to 2003, and again in 2006. “I’m really grateful I didn’t let them prevent me from persevering and maintaining the passion of achieving my goals.”
With the world’s best surfers in town this week for the Rip Curl World Surf League Finals at Lower Trestles, the seven-time world champ from Australia shared her wisdom during the latest WSL’s Rising Tides program, a gathering of elite women surfers and icons who mingled, chatted and then caught waves with up-and-coming surfer girls.
The groms, as young surfers are called, came from near and far for the surf session at the San Clemente Pier, invited because they are making waves of their own on the amateur circuit in areas of Florida, New Jersey and of course, Southern California.
Professional surfers Caroline Marks and Carissa Moore, right, a five-time world champion, visit with a group of young female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Professional surfers Caroline Marks, center, and Carissa Moore, right, a five-time world champion, pose for a photo with a group of young female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A group of young, female surfers who aspire to compete in the sport professionally get the chance to ride waves with some of the sport’s current and former top female competitors during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Layne Beachley, an Australian former professional surfer who won 7 world titles, surfs with a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, aimed at inspiring the next generation of wave riding girls, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Layne Beachley, left, an Australian former professional surfer who won 7 world titles, surfs with a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, aimed at inspiring the next generation of wave riding girls, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Lisa Andersen, left, 54, a four-time world surfing champion, surfs with a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, aimed at inspiring the next generation of wave riding girls, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A young, female surfer rides a wave adjacent to the San Clemente Pier during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Event emcee AJ McCord, right, interviews four-time world surfing champion Lisa Andersen during a World Surf League Rising Tides event in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Lisa Andersen, left, 54, a four-time world surfing champion, surfs with a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, aimed at inspiring the next generation of wave riding girls, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Lisa Andersen, left, 54, a four-time world surfing champion, surfs with a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, aimed at inspiring the next generation of wave riding girls, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Layne Beachley, an Australian former professional surfer who won 7 world titles, surfs with a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, aimed at inspiring the next generation of wave riding girls, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A group of young, female surfers who aspire to compete in the sport professionally get ready to paddle into the waves with some of the sport’s current and former top female competitors during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A group of young, female surfers who aspire to compete in the sport professionally get ready to paddle into the waves with some of the sport’s current and former top female competitors during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A group of young, female surfers who aspire to compete in the sport professionally get ready to paddle into the waves with some of the sport’s current and former top female competitors during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A group of young, female surfers who aspire to compete in the sport professionally get ready to paddle into the waves with some of the sport’s current and former top female competitors during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Layne Beachley, an Australian former professional surfer who won 7 world titles, gives some words of encouragement to a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Professional surfers Caroline Marks and Carissa Moore, a five-time world champion, visit with a group of young female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A young, female surfer rides a wave adjacent to the San Clemente Pier during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
A young, female surfer rides a wave adjacent to the San Clemente Pier during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Carissa Moore, right, a five-time surfing world champion, talks with aspiring surfer Riviera Hunter, 12, of Santa Cruz during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, at the San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Layne Beachley, an Australian former professional surfer who won 7 world titles, gives some words of encouragement to a group of young, female surfers during a World Surf League Rising Tides event in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Professional surfer Zoe Benedetto of Florida rides a wave adjacent to the San Clemente Pier during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Up-and-coming surfer Daya McCart, 15, of Florida rides a wave adjacent to the San Clemente Pier during a World Surf League Rising Tides event, a program designed to mentor and support the next generation of young female surfers, in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Lisa Andersen, 54, a four-time world surfing champion and an icon of the sport, chats with a young female surfer during a World Surfing League Rising Tides event in San Clemente on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
The Rising Tides program is held at each World Tour stop through the year – a way for young women to be mentored and gain inspiration from some of the sport’s best.
“It’s really important that we build a bench for the next generation of young women,” WSL Chief of Sport Jessi Miley-Dyer said.
“Things like equal prize money are really powerful statements that we as WSL are proud to make,” Miley-Dyer said. “It’s important these young women coming up see their value as being equal to everyone out there in the line up and their performances will reflect that.”
The five women in this year world’s finals – Caroline Marks, a Florida surfer who has called San Clemente home the past decade, Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers, Australians Tyler Wright and Molly Picklum and Hawaiian five-time world champion Carissa Moore – joined the gathering.
Each shared their advice and then paddled out into the water with the 25 young girls, who all wore yellow jerseys with No. 23.
“I think mentorship is super powerful and just learning from the people who have come before you. Mentors have played a huge role in my life and it’s really changed the trajectory of my road,” said Moore, also surfing’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist. “I just think women’s surfing is in such a good place right now. When I started surfing on the championship tour in 2010, the discrepancy in equality was huge. Just to see how the professional side of the sport has progressed and evolved in that amount of time, it’s been tremendous.”
Lisa Andersen, four-time world champion from 1994 through 1997, said being among the next generation of girl surfers she reflected on how far women’s surfing has come and her own years in the water.
“You go back in time and there’s so much nostalgia looking back and how you were part of the story,” she said. “It’s very gratifying and humbling at the same time.”
Andersen’s radical, powerful surfing style in the ’90s became the inspiration for the Roxy surf brand, spawning a generation of surfer girls who wanted a place in the waves.
“First and foremost, it all starts with a dream, a lot of dedication, discipline, knowledge, learning,” she told the young girls. “Don’t ever give up. It’s going to be really messed up along the way, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
Zack Stalnaker was part of a group that made a father-daughter surf trip out of the opportunity, traveling from Florida for the event.
“Seeing them pushing themselves and having these pros to look up to is so amazing,” he said of the young girls, including his 12-year-old daughter, Romie. “We come over here and there’s a lot of talent, the girls just stepped it up big time and it’s been really cool to see them do that, push themselves.”
When asked if he was also a surfer, he said yes, but “not as good as my daughter.”
“With my daughter surfing competitively, I probably watch more women’s surfing than I do men’s,” he said. “They are charging so hard and pushing the sport.”
Coral Sasser, a 12-year-old also from Florida, said the fun part about surfing competitively is the friends she makes and being in the ocean.
“It’s so calming and fun,” she said. “I like pushing myself and surfing with friends, too.”
Moore’s advice to the youngsters was to share kindness and the power of aloha.
“You have the power to make a difference every day, just by being kind,” she said. “That’s more important than how you surf a surfboard. I think kindness is a superpower.”
