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...in Santa Cruz County there’s a whole subculture of moms who get recharged regularly just by paddling out for a killer surf session.
BY JONI MARTIN & CHRISTY SHULTS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY KEVIN PAINCHAUD Every year on Mother’s Day our society seems to suddenly remember that the wells women draw on for their parenting need intentional refilling. But in Santa Cruz County there’s a whole subculture of moms who get recharged regularly just by paddling out for a killer surf session.
No female Jeff Spicolis, these women include college professors, teachers, business owners, a judge, a surfboard shaper and a nonprofit executive. What they have in common is a passion so deep that many have taken turns watching each other’s children on the beach to get their water time.
Dina El Dessouky
Sarah Gerhardt
22 Years Surfing Tell us about an intense or fun surfing memory: I got to shoot in the water up North with none other than the legendary Sachi Cunningham for a film collaboration that Textured Waves did with Roxy for International Women’s Day this year. My friend Chelsea Woody asked me to be a part of that, and even though the waves were small, from the minute I rolled up into the parking lot at dawn on that crisp, clear winter morning and met all the women involved, I knew it was going to be magic.
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MAY 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz
32 Years Surfing Tell us about an intense or fun surfing memory: A fun memory I have is going to the Slater wave pool, Surf Ranch with my daughter and seeing her get barreled. Do you have any significant community involvement? I help with Ride a Wave, as a surf escort. What is your most memorable surf moment with your kids? Taking them out to Cowell's as toddlers
For some, surfing is a shared bond with their kids, keeping teenagers close and filling weekends, holidays, and family vacations. For others, surfing is “me time”; stress washes away as they focus on the ocean and its motion in the company of otters and seabirds, sometimes even dolphins and whales.
Maria Neeley
Over 20 Years Surfing What is your most memorable surf moment with your kids? There are too many! I would have to say pushing Mo Ray at 3 years old into the first wave he ever surfed by himself, at Cowell's beach. Do you have any significant community involvement? I am a part of an amazing crew of skateboarder women known as the Santa Cruz Lady Lurkers. I also like to clean up beaches for fun.
This is far from an exhaustive list of the moms who surf in Santa Cruz, and their tidbits of stories are just a sampling of what they shared with Growing Up. To read their full stories or to share your own experience in the comments, check out “Surfer Mamas” at GrowingUpSC.com.
