Surfing like a girl has a whole new meaning these days.
In wasn’t long ago when Keala Kennelly became the first woman to tow in at Teahupo’o in 2005, making history with a 10-foot barrel.
Fast forward to this year. Shortly before the Shiseido Tahiti Pro kicked off on August 11, the legendary surf break’s lineup was reserved for an all-girl session in waves that would make most of us pretty stoked.
The short edit above is captioned:
“WSL Rising Tides created space at Teahupo’o for the next generation of women in an inspiring all-girl surf session before the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro presented by Outerknown began. Tahitian pro stars Vahine Fierro and Aelan Vaast joined forces with young rising talent, including Kiara Goold, to empower each other in the water while spending time to learn and practice on one of the most critical waves in the world.”
The video shows a crew of girls as young as 11, sporting yellow jerseys and having fun totally ripping Teahupo’o.
“It’s important for us to have women’s-only practice sessions on a wave like this where we know that the more time we spend here, the better we’re gonna get,” said chief of sport Jessi Miley-Dyer.
The Rising Tides program was created to build self confidence in young female surfers and holds girls-only sessions at each stop on the tour. During those sessions, the girls get to surf with their heroes.
“It’s mind blowing how the next generation is just very sharp. It’s like they’re visualizing and manifesting and it’s happening really fast,” said Tahitian Olympic qualifier, Vahine Fierro. “And it’s inspiring to my eyes too, I’m like okay I need to step it up.”
“For them to be eleven years old today and already be in this lineup is pretty incredible,” added Miley-Dyer.
We agree.
***
Don’t miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We’re always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you’re a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.