I had my first surf lesson when I was 15 at Caswell Bay in Swansea. I properly started surfing when I went to university in Aberystwyth. I knew I wanted to go to university on the coast and planned to join a university surf club. While I learnt to surf in Aberystwyth, the surf in mid-Wales is quite inconsistent and often small, so I never really improved until I moved to Swansea. Once I got the hang of it, just like all other surfers I was hooked and now I can’t imagine what else I’d do with my free time.

Images by Carys Griffiths @darkroomtrip

I grew up in the south Wales valleys which is a deprived area in Wales. While I was only about 20 miles from the coast, going to the beach was only really something we did on our holidays. I discovered surfing in my teenage years as I became obsessed with California and surf culture as I’d seen it on Tumblr. The idea of the ‘surfer babe’ image I so ironically now detest, is what drew me into it in the first place. I struggled with body image right into my mid twenties and once I realised surfing had absolutely nothing to do with the way you look, my love for it grew into something more meaningful and a way to escape the worries I had on land.

Image by Carys Griffiths @darkroomtrip

Daughters of the Sea was created out of a love for cold water surfing and telling the stories of women who surf in wetsuits. This began as an online presence initially, with a plan to create hard copy magazines. This is because we believe print isn’t dead, plus surf magazines have always traditionally been in print and we wanted to change the ‘surfer babe’ narrative and the way women are represented in those magazines. This has always been - and continues to be - our mission. But podcasting allows us to have deeper conversations, and convey emotion and tell stories through a different medium. It means you can literally hear first hand from our interviewees, which may be more appealing to those who wouldn’t necessarily pick up an article to read.

While we are ultimately a surf magazine, we try to cover a variety of topics that we think our readers would be interested in, like other water activities and environmentalism. I think it’s also important - especially as we’re all about increasing representation - that we think about those people whose voices are often underrepresented in the world of surfing. The piece ‘Panic, Pain and Peace’ by Nina Nedic is a favourite of mine. It tells her story about her experience with concussion. This one is close to home for me as I had a head injury surfing a few years ago, but I also don’t think enough people talk about concussion and surfing, especially for women who experience concussion differently to men. Another favourite of mine is ‘Disabled Girls Can’t Surf’ by Hannah Dines in the latest issue of the magazine. In this piece she tells us about her experience at the Para-surfing World Championships in California and the reality of being unrepresented in this world.

First image by Alex Wilson @gowersecrets and second image by Carys Griffiths @darkroomtrip

My biggest tip would be to just start. If you have a great idea, just go with it. You don’t have to spend loads of money on equipment etc. My first episode was recorded over zoom using just iPhone headphones. The audio isn’t the best, but the interview was engaging and had over 400 plays. If you strive to be perfect, you’ll never begin. Since this first episode I’ve made a number of changes, including investing in a microphone (it’s a £100 Blue Yeti microphone) which has significantly improved the sound. I also continue to seek feedback from people, via polls and comments on Spotify, as well as via Instagram stories. I think it’s important to consider this feedback and take some of it on board. I was determined to create two hour episodes with in-depth conversations (as these are the types of podcast I personally like), but many people said they’d like shorter episodes too or would like the option of breaking up one interview into bite-sized chunks to listen on shorter car journeys.

Images by Carys Griffiths @darkroomtrip

It would be an absolute dream to make a podcast with Easkey Britton. She is one of my favourite surfers and an excellent ambassador for women in cold water surfing. I’ve heard her speak on a couple of podcasts before and I’ve read both of her books. She’s also the first woman to surf off the coast of Iran, and I’d love to ask her more about this experience. I’d also love to ask her more about her ‘blue mind’ research and the intimate connection she feels with the ocean. Another person I’d love to interview is Kelia Moniz. She’s my favourite longboarder and I’d love to get the tea from her about her experience with Roxy and why she left!

Image by Alex Wilson @gowersecrets

My favourite surf podcast is Ocean Women (by local surf school, Shaka Surf). They inspired me to create the DOTS pod and provided me with some advice on getting set up. I also like the Sea Together podcast. The Sea Together magazine was a huge source of inspiration for Daughters of the Sea and I knew I wanted to create a community with a similar ethos of togetherness. My favourite surf magazines are all independent mags, like BLU and Siren Swell. They’re both put together by women with the view to increase representation and tell the stories of women in surfing, which is something I’m also passionate about. Those magazines that are littered with advertising and just cover high level surfing or feature models in bikinis really aren’t for me, and I think women are beginning to see through this and realise they’re not represented in these types of publications. Luckily there seems to be a growth in independent publications people can support. 

My all time favourite place to surf will always be my home break, Llangennith. While I’ve surfed in Bali and Portugal and on the Sunshine Coast of Australia, I still love coming home and surfing Llangennith. It’s a three-mile long beach break which runs from Peaks all the way up to Rhossili and the Worm’s Head. It’s one of the most exposed beaches in Wales as it’s west facing and receives swells from the Atlantic. Because of this, even on a small swell there’s usually a wave, but it often is at the forefront of mighty storms, bringing in all sorts of flotsam and debris. It’s a challenging surf spot, often with long paddle outs and difficult riptides, but when there’s a glassy three foot wave and the sun is peeking up over the hill, it’s just dreamy. Especially when the whole Gower gang is out, everyone is enjoying and calling you onto waves and we head up to the Kings Head for a celebratory beer afterwards. Nothing beats it!

I think we could all do with slowing down a bit more. We’re always so busy and there is so much going on in the world, yet we are always so pre-occupied with our own work and lives, that we often forget to step off the hamster wheel and take a break.

I would much rather have unlimited paddle power! Imagine all the waves you’d get! Not sure it would be so fun surfing alone at night…

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Photographers - Alex Wilson @gowersecrets and Carys Griffiths @darkroomtrip.

Image by Carys Griffiths @darkroomtrip