The Arugam Bay Girls’ Surfing Club

Hello friends, my name is Aloka and this is my naughty but nice dog Pippin. He goes with me everywhere and we have wonderful adventures together. Living on such a beautiful island as we do, we are able to partake in many an interesting sport. One such popular pastime is that of surfing. Sri Lanka boasts some of the best beaches and professional surfers come from far and wide to conquer those indomitable waves. But what's unique about our little find this week, is the popularization of the first female surf club. Shamalie Sanjaya, is indeed making waves as the president of the first ever girls' surf club in Sri Lanka. Influenced by her father and brothers who are pro-surfers, Shamalie realized at an early age her passion for surfing. But with a lack of prominence and opportunities given to female surfers, Shamalie decided to take matters into her own hands and created the first ever female-only surfers' club. Surfing is a sport in which the surfer rides the waves in an upright position with the help of a surfboard. They glide across the surface of the wave until the wave breaks and loses its energy. In the ocean, wave riders stand up on surfboards and navigate the water - nearly parallel to the beach - toward the shore. There are four types of surfing waves: spilling waves, plunging waves, surging waves, and collapsing waves. The ultimate goal of surfing is to ride and progress on the unbroken part of the wave. Nevertheless, many beginners can learn to surf in the whitewater part of the wave. Initiated by Tiffany Carothers, an American living in Sri Lanka, the Arugam Bay Girls' Surfing Club has a membership of 12 members with the majority being locals. The ages of the club members range from 13 to 44 years. Instead of viewing the dearth of women in the local surfing area, Shamali has taken this as a challenge and aspires to make a mark in this industry. Surfing has given the local girls confidence and pride in their abilities. With the Olympics looking to making surfing a validated sport, there is much for them to aspire towards. Until next time, have fun in the sun!