The Women in Surfing Celebration brought together women from across Western Australia’s surfing community for a two-part event focused on connection, shared experience, and the growing pathways available in the sport.
Hosted at Surfing WA Headquarters in Trigg, the event recorded close to 100 registrations across a morning and evening session. It created space for open conversation between surfers at all stages — from first-time participants through to elite athletes and long-standing community members. Surfing WA thanks Healthway and CITS for their support of women in surfing and for helping create opportunities that strengthen connection, participation, and pathways for women and girls across Western Australia.
Two sessions, one shared focus
The event was split into two sessions designed to reflect different moments in a surfer’s journey, while keeping connection at the centre.
The morning breakfast focused on belonging, confidence, and the role of the ocean in everyday wellbeing. The sundowner session brought a broader group together to talk about pathways, progression, and what’s next for women’s surfing in WA.
Across both sessions, the emphasis stayed on lived experience and conversation, creating space for people to listen, share, and connect without barriers between levels or backgrounds.
Voices across generations
Guest speakers Jodie Cooper, Lizzie Nunn and Olive Hardy helped shape the tone of the day, sharing perspectives from different stages of women’s surfing in WA.
Their stories reflected both how far the sport has come and the importance of continuing to create visibility, support, and opportunity for women and girls.
Together, they highlighted a simple but powerful theme — progress in surfing happens when experience and emerging talent sit side by side.
Connection at the centre
Outside the formal sessions, one of the strongest outcomes was the level of connection built between participants.
Many women arrived not knowing others in the room and left having shared stories, formed new relationships, and found points of connection within the wider surfing community.
A community BBQ hosted by women developing a new all-female boardrider club added another layer to the day, creating space for informal conversations around club building and participation pathways.
Participation
The event saw strong engagement from across metropolitan Perth, with additional participation from the South West during the evening session.
Looking ahead
The Women in Surfing Celebration reinforced the clear demand for opportunities that bring women together through surfing — not only in the water, but through shared experience and community.
As participation continues to grow across Western Australia, Surfing WA remains focused on strengthening pathways that support women and girls to participate, lead, and stay connected to the sport in meaningful ways.
The event forms part of the broader legacy of female-focused programs at Surfing WA, which continue to introduce new participants to surfing, strengthen the performance pathway, and build long-term engagement across communities statewide.
📸 Images from the event can be viewed here
🎥 Video highlight is available here
Content captured by Anita Reca.
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