🏄‍♀️ How do I even get a bloody wave? 😜

👋 Happy National Grouch Day! I don't usually find out what "national day" we're celebrating until I've finished writing the newsletter. But this edition definitely skews grouchy. So today, you have my permission to feel however you feel about surfing. Sighing, eye-rolling, finding a hole in the whole thing. Have at it.

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• How do I even get a bloody wave? 😜

• Bloody surfing and the bloody sharks 🦈

• From sepsis to Sunzal 🇸🇻

• Good and bad surf news roundup 🗞️

^SURFODRAMA

 😱 How do I even get a wave? 😜

It’s no secret that I stay away from the main lineup, just so I don’t have to ask this very question. I’ll get a wave by hook or by crook, or by means of the whitewater.

But one of our members recently came home from a surf session having caught exactly zero waves. She’s almost 60, has been surfing for three years, and has no problem popping up or riding a wave. So, what gives?

The locals at her break are lovely. They know her, and when they see her struggling to catch a wave, they’ll sometimes pull out or share one with her. But the better surfers tend to sit further out, closer to the peak. And when strong surfers from out of town turn up, they seem to catch everything.

So she spends most of her session pulling out of waves because she doesn’t want to drop in on anyone. Some days she doesn’t mind. Perhaps this wasn’t one of those days. We all get those.

How do you get them waves, then? We have opinions.

🦨 Weakness stinks
The overwhelming response was that hesitation is your enemy in a crowded lineup. I wrote a whole piece once on how hesitation is the biggest mistake a surfer can make, and I have to tell you, I still don’t practice what I preach. It’s hard.

Surfers can spot hesitation a mile away. If you’re sitting there looking unsure, half-paddling for waves and pulling back at the last second, people will inevitably notice. And some will absolutely take advantage of it.

Not necessarily because they’re horrible people. Although some of them are. If someone thinks you’re unlikely to make a wave, they’ll probably go for it themselves. Waves are a scarce resource, and so on.

One member admitted she does exactly that. If someone looks like they’re going to chicken out, she might as well take the wave. Her advice is to get yourself closer to the peak, paddle and commit. Easier said than done, of course.

There’s also a difference between being assertive and being reckless. You don’t suddenly get priority because you’ve decided to be brave today. Surf etiquette still applies, and nobody should be deliberately dropping in on other surfers to make a point.

But if it’s your turn, you’re in the right position, and the wave is yours to take, you don’t need to apologize for going for it.

🙇‍♀️ Are women too bloody polite?
Yes, we are. And so are some of what I call “well-adjusted men”.

One member pointed out that many women have spent their entire lives learning to be polite, accommodate others, and generally stay out of the way. Particularly in spaces traditionally dominated by men. Read: surfing.

And then we take up surfing, where being overly accommodating can mean spending two hours watching everyone else catch waves.

Add age to the equation, and there’s another issue. Several women in the group talked about feeling increasingly invisible as they got older.

One 67-year-old member, who started surfing at 58, said that as her surfing improved, people were less likely to snake her. But it still happens. Sometimes simply chatting to people in the lineup helps because suddenly you’re a person rather than some anonymous woman sitting on a surfboard.

I’ve always thought that making yourself un-invisible serves you well in the lineup. It’s harder to be rude to someone whose name you know.

⚖️ Do you earn your place or just take it?
Some members strongly believe that you have to earn your way into the lineup. And by that they mean putting in the time, becoming a familiar face, learning how the break works, and demonstrating that you can handle yourself.

You don’t necessarily paddle straight into the busiest part of the peak and expect everyone to make room for you.

Fair enough. But, like, how long does it take to become a local? A year? Five years? Never?

Others argued that you have just as much right to catch waves as the next person, regardless of whether you’ve been surfing for three years or thirty.

Because here’s the problem: how are you supposed to improve if you never get to catch anything? It’s a total vicious circle. You need waves to get better. But apparently, you need to be better to get waves.

I think there’s a middle ground. You don’t have to sit on the shoulder forever waiting for someone to decide you’ve earned your place. But you do need to understand the lineup, respect priority, know your limits and choose waves you have a realistic chance of catching.

Take the bloody wave.

And sometimes the reality is that you’re simply at a break that’s too competitive for your current ability. There’s no shame in moving down the beach or finding somewhere less crowded where you’ll actually get to surf.

👯‍♀️ Bring a friend, make a friend
One of the most practical suggestions was to paddle out with a friend.

A few women admitted that when they’re surfing alone, they tend to hang back, second-guess themselves and generally lack the confidence to go for waves.

Put a friend beside them, and suddenly they’re much more willing to have a go. I have tested this. It works.

I won’t advise you to try to make the lineup your new circle of best friends, though. It varies from break to break. Being all lovey-dovey in a lineup full of aggressive surfers is simply not going to work.

🚶‍♀️ Confidence starts on the sidewalk
One member suggested practicing assertiveness on dry land.

Think about what happens when you’re walking down a busy sidewalk and someone is coming towards you. Do you automatically move out of their way? Do you step aside before they’ve even acknowledged you’re there?

Apparently, a lot of us do.

Her suggestion was to practice holding your course rather than automatically making yourself smaller. Not by deliberately walking into people, obviously, but by remembering that you have just as much right to occupy that space as anyone else.

A personal side note: it may not work. I’m crazily assertive on dry land, i.e. at work, and I’m like a scared bunny in the lineup.

🤷‍♀️ And sometimes you catch absolutely nothing
I don’t think there’s a surfer alive who hasn’t come out of the water feeling annoyed because they barely caught anything. Or literally nothing.

But there’s an important distinction between not catching waves because you can’t, and not catching waves because you are making that a choice.

Welcome to surfing, where nothing makes sense.

The original poster said her coach could teach her the skills but not the confidence. I know we’re told that confidence can be learned. But not everyone finds it easy. And you shouldn’t feel all this pressure to grow a pair if it’s something you’re not comfortable with.

Don’t give up. Even scared bunnies can catch waves at less crowded breaks.

And if you’re lucky enough to be a wave-catching machine, spare a thought for the rest of us.

As Duke Kahanamoku is often quoted as saying:

“Just take your time — wave comes. Let the other guys go, catch another one.”

^{MORE SURFODRAMA}

🦈 Bloody surfing and the bloody sharks. Again.

Oh, here we go again. Periods, surfing and sharks. Apparently, this is a subject that refuses to die.

I’ve already tackled the question of whether you can surf on your period in a Hey Zuz, I’m confused. Spoiler alert: yes, you can.

But a couple of discussions in Girls Who Can’t Surf Good reminded me that there’s rather more to it than a simple yes or no. Let’s do this. Again.

👙 What do you wear down there?
One member wanted to know whether period bikini bottoms actually work. She’s not a fan of tampons or cups, and understandably doesn’t fancy sitting on the beach while everyone else surfs.

Some women swear by period swimwear. One member loves her Modibodi bikini bottoms, while another said they worked well but wouldn’t trust them on a heavy-flow day.

Others weren’t convinced. One member thought the whole idea was rather gross, which naturally prompted a discussion about free bleeding. Dun dun dun dun.

Then came the recommendations. Tampons, cups, menstrual discs, period swimwear. The important distinction is that period swimwear is designed for water, while ordinary period underwear isn’t. And how well it works depends on the product and your flow.

🦈 And what about the bloody sharks?
Ah, yes. The sharks.

Some members don’t give surfing on their periods a second thought. Others won’t risk it, particularly in places like Australia.

One woman had even been diving with tiger sharks in the Maldives alongside three other menstruating women. The sharks weren’t interested.

And then a shark biologist joined the conversation, reassuring everyone that sharks aren’t swimming around looking for menstruating surfers. There’s no evidence that being on your period increases your risk of a shark bite.

Naturally, this didn’t settle the argument. We love to talk.

Another member challenged the science, citing a documentary and eventually bringing ChatGPT into the debate. At which point the biologist questioned why anyone was using chatbot answers to challenge scientific research.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

🛌 Sometimes it’s not about the blood
Of course, there are other reasons you might not fancy surfing on your period.

Cramps, fatigue, bloating, feeling generally rubbish. One member joked that she throws herself over the falls so she can experience pain worse than her cramps.

Others said surfing actually helps their symptoms.

And that’s really the point. Some women feel fantastic in the water on their periods. Others would rather stay in bed with a hot water bottle.

🌊 The bloody conclusion
Yes, you can surf on your period. No, there’s no evidence that you’re turning yourself into shark bait. And if you feel like crap, you don’t have to surf.

And this is the last time we’re talking about this until the next time.

^{LATEST FROM GIRLS WHO CAN’T SURF GOOD}

💬 3 things we’re figuring out this week

🇸🇻 Where do I surf in El Salvador solo? Community top picks: El Zonte, either Esencia Nativa (Alex there runs Surfing Your Fears coaching) or Palo Verde Sustainable Hotel. For a mellower wave, go to Sunzal, where Slow Motion Henry has the best longboard rentals. For one-on-one coaching, try Pixie at El Salvador Surf Retreat.

🏄‍♀️ Witch’s Rock or WildMex for getting my skills back after a baby Community top picks: Witch’s Rock Surf Camp in Tamarindo won by a mile because it’s safe for solo travelers and great for skill building. Sayulita got flagged for water quality and crowds. If you go with WildMex, ask for La Lancha. And avoid Easter week (March 21 to 28, 2027).

🦠 Can I surf San Diego after the rain with an open wound? Community verdict: No, hell no. Even without a wound, wait at least 72 hours after rain, and check sdwaterwatch.com before you go. With an open wound, wait until it's healed. One member got sepsis after surfing with a sea urchin puncture.

👉 Join us for more recs, chatter, and support

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY SURF NEWS ROUNDUP}

🗞️ Waves at risk, a tour surfer suspended, and the Times says surfing is the secret to getting old well.

🌊 Climate change is coming for the world’s best waves
A new study found more than three-quarters of breaks in World Surfing Reserves are at high risk, including Croyde, Noosa and El Salvador’s eastern points.

⚖️ A CT surfer was suspended over allegations involving a teenage girl
The WSL provisionally suspended a Championship Tour surfer over serious allegations involving a private gathering in Tahiti.

👵 The New York Times found the secret to aging well on a surfboard
Meet Surfiatrics, a five-step plan for keeping the stoke as you get older. One of its creators is 77 and heading on his fourth surf trip this year: “I don’t catch too many waves, but we have a lot of fun.”

💸 A surf influencer says OnlyFans pays more than pro surfing
Erika White went from £100 a week to up to £50,000 a month. And she’s not the surfer who does.

👉 Read the full news roundup

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⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
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With stoke,

Zuz & The Wipeout Weekly