🏄‍♀️ Surfing got expensive—and yeah, we did this to ourselves 😅

👋 Happy Thursofriday! This week I learned that you can spot a beginner surfer by how they drive into the parking lot—namely, way too fast. 😂 I wonder what I’ll learn tomorrow... Sorry, it’s been a while since we had a quote from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. ☺️

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• Why surfing got so damn expensive

• Our fave beginner-friendly break: Sayulita

• A surf buddy love story ❤️‍🔥

• Queen Ka‘ahumanu and her Sunday surfing ban

• How to fix your poo stance 💩

• 🎙️Matt Warshaw says surfing isn’t fun??!

^SURFODRAMA

😱 Surfing got expensive—and yeah, we did this to ourselves

Isn’t shopping fun? And buying gear for a totally new endeavor—like when you’re getting into surfing—well, that’s just party central.🥳

But if your funds are limited, or the stuff (and all the related services) gets prohibitively expensive? It gets tough.

🌊 Surfing used to be cheap—what happened?
Surfing was never really considered an expensive sport. Well, not until recently.

The waves were—and remain—free.

In the ’70s in LA, there were so many old longboards lying around that people were literally giving them away. Today, you can still snag a pretty good deal on Facebook Marketplace or get an entry-level board at Costco.

If you lived on a coast, even in a non-tropical climate, you could easily surf without a wetsuit in the summer. And plenty of surfers still do.

So what’s changed?

The popularity of surfing grew—and so did the surf economy. Growth = more stuff to buy. Popularity = you can charge more for the stuff people want to buy. Simples.

🏄‍♀️ Beginner setup: how low can you go?
Consider what a beginner surfer who lives on the coast may need to purchase to kick off their surf journey:

• First surf lesson: Free from a friend or around $100

• Beginner surfboard with leash: $116 for a foamie (if you or a friend has a Costco membership), or similar price for a used board

• Wetsuit: $58 (lowest I’ve seen for a non-brand 3/2), sometimes lower for a used branded one

• Surf wax: Optional with a foamie, or $2.50 from your local surf shop

Let’s call it under $300 to start—and to keep going.

As long as your expectations don’t change. But they do change, don’t they? 😊

🧗 The upgrade spiral begins...
You don’t want to surf on a foamie forever. An epoxy hardtop? Around $800. A fiberglass longboard? $1,000 and up, up, and away.

Got a ding on that fiberglass? That’ll be $50 for a repair at the shop.

Summer not enough for you? Let’s not forget all the brave souls who surf through cold, cold winters and need booties, gloves, hoods… each at least $35+. Not to mention much thicker wetsuits (extra $$).

💸 All the extras you didn’t see coming
There are roof racks to buy, parking fees to pay, a poncho, a changing mat, maybe a board bag, good sunscreen, wetsuit shampoo, a surf comb (of course), a lockbox—and that’s before we even talk about surf travel, ongoing coaching, and drone footage.

Oh, you want to try a wave pool too?! 😜

🧠 So... what’s the solution?
We can get over this if we lower our expectations—which I’m sure we can do. Because we love surfing, not the gear. Right?

• Buy used – we’re putting together a guide to buying a used surfboard and what to watch out for

• Buy on sale – look around the holidays, Prime Days, sign up for marketing emails, and search for coupons

• Buy the necessary – a trash bag works surprisingly well as a changing mat

• DIY – we already have a guide on what you can fix yourself

• Swap and giveaway – and we can make that easier, too! We want to build a community-powered forum where you can house-swap on your surf travels, couch-surf among friends, or sell/give away surf gear (if you like this idea, “love” this newsletter in the poll at the bottom)

🏁 So, surfing: cheap or expensive?
If you live near the coast, grab a used board, throw on a hand-me-down wetsuit, and go surf. If you’re chasing swell year-round, building a quiver, and buying heated wetsuit gloves for Arctic surf trips... then yeah, it can add up.

But the waves are (still) free. And for many of us, that’s priceless.

^{SURF SPOT SPOTLIGHT}

Sayulita is still our fav for beginner surfers

Sayulita is on our list of the 25 best beginner surf spots, but sometimes it gets mixed reviews, due to the crowds (hello) and water quality in the wet season (hello again). So we went to the local sources to check what the real vibe is.

Getting there is easy: fly into Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR), then take a taxi, shuttle, or rental car up the coast. The drive is scenic and usually takes under an hour.

🌊 The surf
Sayulita is one of Mexico’s most beginner-friendly surf towns, thanks to its mellow, consistent beach break right in the main bay. The wave breaks both left and right over a sand and cobblestone bottom, making it great for first-timers and foamies. On small days, it’s a longboard dream. On bigger swells, intermediates can play too.

🚿 Water quality
Generally good—especially in the dry season—but it can get a little sketchy after heavy rains. In the wet season (June–October), avoid paddling out right after a storm due to runoff. A little bit of insider advice: if bacteria loves you and you’re prone to illness, avoid Sayulita in the wet season.

👙 Wardrobe
No wetsuit needed. The water is warm year-round—think rash guard, swimsuit, or surf bikini. If you’re sun-sensitive, a long-sleeve top and zinc are your best friends.

☀️ Best time for beginners to go
November to April is dry season—sunny, consistent, and beginner-friendly. May–October is the rainy season and can bring heavier surf, but mornings are still usually manageable.

⚠️ Hazards
Crowds, especially in peak season (Dec–Feb and around Easter). The main break gets busy with surf schools, longboarders, and kids. The rocks and reef on the edges of the bay can surprise you at low tide, so steer clear unless you know the spot.

🏄 Rentals + lessons
Every other shop in Sayulita rents boards or offers lessons. You can book in advance or walk right up. Most instructors are bilingual and used to teaching total beginners.

🧳 Solo friendly?
Very. Sayulita is a solo traveler’s paradise with a welcoming surf community, tons of hostels, and relaxed social vibes. Most surf schools welcome walk-ins, and the town is easy to navigate on foot. Just be ready to meet a dozen new friends before noon.

❤️ Local insider advice

• Repeat after me: Bring booties for reef entries

• For families or less party-focused travelers, stay in San Pancho or Punta Mita and shuttle to breaks.

• La Lancha: Universally recommended as a better surf break than Sayulita—gentler waves, friendly lineup, but a bit of a trek (10–15 min walk in). Or take take the bus, it’s cheap.

• San Pancho: Cute town, less crowded, but the wave is fast and not beginner-friendly.

• Punta Mita: Clean, more mellow, multiple breaks like Stinky’s and El Anclote. Good for families and easier surf.

A full list of recommendations from Girls Who Can’t Surf Good—surf coaches, rentals, place to stay—is here.

^{GIRL-WHO-GOT-A-SURF-BUDDY}

🏄‍♀️ How a surf buddy changed everything: Lauren’s surf love story

🏄‍♀️ Lauren wanted to be a surfer all her life. But her journey to the first pop-up was treacherous and heart-breaking at times.

Until when one day, she met the best surf buddy ever.

Read her story

Follow us on IG @girlswhocantsurfgood

^{SURF THRU HISTORY}

The first woman in the lineup… then banned surfing on Sundays. 🌋

Hawaiian oral traditions (mo‘olelo) and later 19th-century writings are full of descriptions (usually written by ever-so-fascinated men) of expert female surfers who literally pounded men in surf competitions. I say “pounded”—the 19th-century writers say “the gentler sex frequently carried off the highest honors.”

But who was the first “legendary” woman in the lineup?

If you want to go into the land of fable—the volcano goddess Pele and her sister Hi‘iaka, goddess of the hula, were both wave riders.

I’m all in on legends and fairy tales. Listen to this one:

Princess Kelea, the sister of King Kawao of Maui, from the 15th century, once declared her surfboard to be her husband. According to U’ilani Macabio, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner: “Kelea—she has this wit and cunning and fast mouth, really smart.” Gotta love this girl.

IRL, Queen Ka‘ahumanu, the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I, was a surfer. And not just a dabbler—she surfed heavy waves, and surfed them well. But then, the true tragedy: King Kamehameha dies in 1819, and Ka‘ahumanu goes from fun-loving surfer to Christian devotee. She bans surfing on Sundays and generally discourages it. Sad.

Find out why I’m leaning toward the stories about her mother—Namahana—as the true first woman in the lineup, and who the first woman in space was here.

^{WEEKLY POPUP}

🛠️ How to fix your poo stance after your pop-up

You know it when you see it—or feel it. Knees too bent, too far apart, bum hanging low. You look like you’re about to go. 🚽

It’s not a pretty sight, is it? You can observe a poo stance in its purest form when watching first time learner surfers in the whitewater, myself included. 😂

💩 Here’s how to practice fixing your stance on land

• Foot placement: Make sure both feet are centered on either side of the stringer. Tape down two crosses on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width and practice landing your pop-up. You can step into your pop-up if jumping is too much.

• Back knee in, not out: Think "pull it under you," not "squat wide."

• Lead with your back not your knee: Point it where you want to go. It helps re-center your weight and reduces that saggy bum effect.

• Square your body: Keep your shoulders perpendicular to the board. This helps your back knee naturally pull in and keeps your stance compact.

• When they say in the gym: engage your core & tuck the pelvis I immediately feel nauseous from overthinking, but I heard someone call it “pushing the bush” and it all made sense. So do that.

• Arm position: Keep both arms loosely in front like you’re about to signal “and what do you want me to do about this”

• Loosen up: Foam roll or stretch your hips and quads if they feel tight.

But, don’t overthink it in the water. Surfing is feel-first. There are some pro surfers like Sally Fitzgibbons or Gabriel Medina who look very boxy on their boards, but still they’re super fluid and tension-free. If it works for you and you’re progressing—all good then.

For more musings on the poo stance and how the 80s martial arts flicks can help, go here.

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY PODCAST}

 🤯 “I never said surfing was fun” with Matt Warshaw

Like… what the actual?!

My personal hero—the author of Encyclopedia of Surfing and History of Surfing—is out here saying: SURFING IS NOT FUN?! 🤬

Apparently, it’s something entirely different. You gotta listen to find out. 🥰

Available on your favorite podcast platform—or click here to listen.

⬆️ 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! 🌊

^HOUSEKEEPING

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