Mailen, Surf Coach at SWA, shares her story of moving to Costa Rica, how surfing has changed her, and her favorite things about being a Surf Coach.

Holly grew up the oldest of five sisters with a mother that believed in traditional gender roles. A "repressed tomboy", she eventually got a surfboard and wetsuit and never looked back. Holly shares stories of her path to being a pro surfer, a bit about what that life was like, how she transition...

SWA Surf Coach Anne shares her experience in building out her dream surf van to explore Central America.

Growing up in rural Indonesia, Sofie didn't see the ocean until she was eight years old. Later in life when she moved to Bali for work and saw surfers for the very first time, she tried it out and quickly fell in love. Overcoming traditional beliefs as an Indonesia female surfer, she now coaches ...

Angie is an SWA surf instructor who was born and raised, wild and in the sea, in Costa Rica. She is one of nine siblings who grew up in a remote part of southern Costa Rica and shares her story that starts with her birth in a boat out to sea, losing her father at age 19, and how finding out she w...

Natalie Small is a licensed therapist who can attest to the benefits of surf therapy. She is also a SWA surf instructor and the founder of the Groundswell Community Project. Here she shares her own story of learning to surf, using the ocean for healing, and her philosophy of surf. For more inform...

Meet Gabrielle Cahoon, a dedicated educator in the fitness industry with nearly two decades of experience. Gabrielle discovered her passion for Pilates in 2007, transforming her training approach and reducing injury risks as an avid runner. She solidified her commitment by earning her full STOTT ...

Alexia was told surfing is not a sport for girls. On a surf trip to Puerto Escondido, her aunt facilitated her learning to surf, then her dad got her a board behind her mom's back. She fell in love with the feeling of riding a wave and never looked back. In this video she shares some stories of b...

Israe manages the villas at the Surf With Amigas Retreat location in Morocco and is one of the only female Moroccan in Imsouane. Israe always wanted to learn how to surf. After riding her first wave two years ago, she uprooted her life, moved to Imsouane and never looked back. She talks about her...

Alexis Obrien is a 40 year old, stay-at-home, mother of two. She's only been surfing for about 10 years, but she absolutely charges, particularly in backside tube-riding. In this visual excerpt from a Second Breakfast podcast episode, Alexis talks about her journey of learning to surf, the parall...

Liz didn't grow up surfing, but once she learned about the growth mindset in college and first applied it to her studies, she eventually chose to approach all aspects of life through a lens of hard work leads to improvement. On a recent Surf With Amigas Advanced Tube Riding Retreat, she was one o...

Angela got the idea to found Mamala wetsuits during Covid when she suddenly had the time and realized there wasn't a company making 2mm wetsuits for women. Angela shares a bit of her story of learning to surf in her 30s, some of the difficulties she's faced in starting a company in a male-dominat...

Amy is 52 years old and has been living in Pavones for about 30 of those years. She is incredibly fit due to a life focused on sustainability. To her, sustainability means taking care of herself and her community, keeping her joints moving, a doing a lot of fishing. Amy also leads some workouts f...