🏄‍♀️ Don't lose your mind over the surf forecast 🤯

👋 Happy May Day! Anyone else mildly addicted to checking the Waikiki Surfline cam… or any other tropical surf cam they definitely aren't near? No? Just me? Cool cool cool. 😂

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• No forecast, no problem

• Weligama, Sri Lanka

• Girl-Who-Traded-Dancing-For-Surfing

• Word of the week: Trim

• Abandoned baby daughter—but hey, great surf bathing

• Weekly popup ⚡🏄‍♀️🔥

^SURFODRAMA

😱 Don’t you lose your mind over that surf forecast!

Surf forecasts almost ruined surfing for me. You too? 🤔

I got so fixated on the numbers, I stopped going out—because it never seemed “good enough.”

When I started surfing in the UK, we’d drive 3–5 hours just to reach a break. We didn’t care what the forecast said. You surfed what you got on the weekend—or you didn’t surf at all.

California spoiled me. But lately, I’ve simplified how I use surf forecasts—and I'm surfing way more because of it.

There are only three things worth obsessing over

💨 Wind: don’t wait for perfection
Yes, offshore winds deliver cleaner, better-shaped waves. But unless you live in Nicaragua, you’re going to deal with a lot of onshore or cross-shore winds. And if you get obsessed with surfing only when it’s under 10 knots, you might surf 10 days a year if you’re in Europe.

🌊 Surf height: know your break
As for surf height: keep in mind that you might be comfortable with a 2–3 ft forecast at a slow-rolling reef break, but at a temperamental beach break, 2–3 ft can kick your ass.

🌒 Tide: it’s all about timing
And then there’s the tides: One beach might work best at high tide; another might totally close out. Some spots fire best on the push from low to high. Others do the opposite.

Understanding a surf forecast (which itself may not be as accurate as you'd hope) is hard. We've only covered three variables and haven’t even touched primary and secondary swells, swell direction, swell period, or wave energy—all of which also affect surf conditions. 🤯

You can make it easy on yourself
Keep a journal of good sessions. And take a screenshot of the forecast after a good surf—that way you'll know what a good day actually looked like.

^{SURF SPOT SPOTLIGHT}

Weligama, Sri Lanka: a truly consistent beach break

Weligama is a laid-back beach town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of the better-known surf hub of Galle. The name "Weligama" means "sandy village" in Sinhala—a pretty fitting name for a place famous for its long, wide, sandy beach.

🌊 Waves: It’s a beach break! But a consistent, quality one. Best at mid-to-high tide when the faster sections are more makeable. A classic, slow-rolling wave that breaks longer and softer—ideal for beginners.

🚰 Water quality: Clean and tropical most of the time. After a big storm, runoff can temporarily affect clarity, so check in with local surf shops if it’s been raining.

👙 Wardrobe: Boardshorts and bikinis all day long. The water hovers between 27–30°C (81–86°F). A rash guard is recommended for sun protection.

☀️ Best time to surf: The dry season (November–April) has the most consistent beginner conditions, but Weligama works year-round. Expect smaller, mellower waves from May–October.

⚠️ Hazards: Occasional mild rip currents—check with local instructors before paddling out. The main hazards are crowds (especially during surf school rush hour), so be extra aware near surf lesson zones.

🏄🏻‍♀️ Surfboard rental: Weligama is one of the most beginner-friendly rental hubs in Asia. Rentals, lessons, and surf camps line the beach—no planning needed, just show up.

🎉 What else to do in Weligama: Go on a snorkeling safari in Mirissa or take a yoga class. You could check out the traditional stilt fishing, but these days it’s a rather expensive Instagram opportunity rather than anything else. 

🧳 Solo friendly? 100%. Weligama has a surf hub vibe, with travelers from around the world. It’s easy to meet people in the lineup, in lessons.

Looking for other beginner-friendly destinations? We covered them here.

^{GIRL-WHO-TRADED-DANCING-FOR-SURFING}

🏄‍♀️ How surfing (and Bali) helped Nikki heal

🏄‍♀️ Not everyone gets hooked the first time they surf—but some of us still find our way back to the water, years later, when life is begging for change.

Nikki learned to surf in Hawaii at 12, didn’t catch the bug until 30, and went from Huntington wipeouts to Encinitas mornings and Bali breakthroughs.

Read her story

Missed any Girls Who Can’t Surf Good stories? You can find them all here.

Follow us on IG @girlswhocantsurfgood

^SURFLINGO

🌊 Word of the week: Trim

As the 1960s longboard legend Phil Edwards said: "Trim is everything."

A trim, as in trimming the wave, is a natural progression step for any beginner who caught a green wave and popped up. You can either head straight for the beach or instead enjoy the ride by trimming the wave.

Paddling and popping up come before trimming, while turning and carving come after—if you wanted to place it in the flow of surfing skills.

📚 Where the word "Trim" comes from
“Trim” originated from nautical sailing. In sailing, to "trim" a sail means to adjust it just right to the wind for maximum efficiency.

Surfers borrowed this idea: when you are trimming the wave, you're making small adjustments in your board’s position and angle on the wave in order to follow the wave’s shape down the line. Trimming helps you maintain speed and control of your board and avoid being pushed forward or thrown off balance.

🌊 How to trim a wave
How does it work in practice? Trimming is achieved by shifting weight slightly between the front and back foot and by leaning the board in the direction of travel.

Want to speed up? Lean your body weight forward over your front knee. As you lean, you apply more pressure to the board, causing it to gain speed. Need to slow down? Do the opposite: put more weight on your back leg.

🎯 When it works—and when it doesn’t
Easy, right? Hmm. It can be. Keeping your board in the “sweet spot” of the wave and adjusting your speed slightly forward or back can feel relatively easy—once you pop up fast enough, you’re up and riding, the wave is mellow and peeling nicely, and you’re on the right board for the conditions. That’s quite a few variables.

But if you’re on a smaller, less forgiving board, or the waves get steeper, or you’re literally racing to outrun a closeout, this may become more problematic for any beginner

The most advanced form of trimming is “Hanging Ten,” but that’s a word for another Word of the Week.

More surflingo is here!

^{SURF THRU HISTORY}

Baby daughter abandoner Agatha Christie enjoys some Waikiki surf

🗞 Extra! Extra! Read all about it! “Baby daughter abandoner Agatha Christie enjoys some Waikiki surf.” 

We are not judging. Because what wouldn’t a girl do for some decent surf?

And yes, Agatha Christie and her husband Archie did leave their 2-year-old daughter Rosalind behind when they went out surfing, I mean—on the Grand Tour that lasted 10 months.

But it was 1922. ☺️

Here’s another shocker: Agatha didn’t discover surfing in Hawai’i. No, the first time she surfed was in South Africa, and she didn’t even call it “surfing”—she called it surf bathing with planks. How fun.

You can read the rest of the story here.

^{WEEKLY POPUP}

 😱 Yet another pop-up debate: To kneel or not to kneel 🧎🏻‍♀️

Whenever I think there’s nothing else that can be said about how to improve your pop-up, the internet proves me wrong. Like this week—the case of whether you should use your knees during the pop-up.

🧨 The clickbait that got me
Controversy sells. And makes you click! So when I saw a post titled "The Truth About Using Your Knees to Pop Up", I was there like swimwear. OMG. Someone heard my cry and has all the answers!

According to the poster, the advice we hear so often—“do not use your knees”—is not always helpful. Let me quote: “In fact, avoiding your knees can lead to poor form, stalled boards, and hard-to-break habits.”

And I thought getting stuck on my knees was the hard-to-break habit.🤔

🧎‍♀️ Why some surfers use their knees
The argument for using your knees is simple: if you can’t do an explosive pop-up, because of lack of strength or mobility, you start with two knees, then one knee, and eventually stand up. Your knees, in this case, are supposed to help you stay balanced on the board.

🏄‍♀️ Why it doesn’t work (for me)
But this is not gonna cut it at my local beach break, even on the smallest day or when practicing in the whitewash. If I end up on both knees, that’s where I’m going to get stuck. The board is gonna rock to hell and back—and if I somehow get unstuck, it’ll take me so long to stand up that I’ll never ever get to experience the joys of riding an unbroken wave.

🩼 When knees might be the right call
That said, I completely understand the poster’s sentiment: do whatever it takes to stand up—even if it means using your knees. And this absolutely may be the best (or only) option for people returning to surfing after a break, an injury, or anyone with limited mobility.

Perhaps it’s as easy as: it’s okay to use the knees, but it’s not okay to go to the knees.

Our weekly pop-up advice(s) 😂 can be found here.

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY FOMO}

⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
If a friend forwarded this and you liked it, hit subscribe & join us! We will see you all next week! 🌊

^{MORE HOUSEKEEPING}

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