They're more flexible, better organised, and they only need moves explained to them once. Surfing teachers along Spain's Cantabrian coast are all in agreement that while women may not necessarily be quicker on the waves, they are definitely faster learners than their male counterparts.
"I've seen women in their late thirties pick stuff up in three days that men have taken two weeks to learn," says surfing instructor Lurta Nikolas.
The boom in female surfing has even made it on to Spanish television screens, with state channel La 2 showing Blue Water High, a teen series from Australia where it's the girls who set the pace.
"We have nine official schools along the coasts of Cantabria, Cádiz and Tarifa, along with two surf camps in the Basque Country," says Roxy's head of marketing, Maider Eguskiza.
"We also have our own female surfers' team. We want women to see surfing as a way of understanding each other, in the same way that men do," she adds.
Roxy has even brought out a glossy coffee table book that details the history of women's surfing.
Natalie Linden, the author of Surf Girl Roxy, traces the history of the sport from a female perspective, illustrating the text with photos of the key figures.
Among them are the Ruano Moreno twins from the Canary Islands, who are already well known for their windsurfing feats. They have now conquered the world of surfing.
"Before, there were no schools or facilities for women," says Daida Ruano, who holds 13 world surfing titles. She says that more women have taken up the sport, thanks to changes in society, new boards that are more suited to a woman's physique, and a gradual erosion of prejudices about surfing.
"You just have to know how to swim and not limit yourself physically to start," says Lurta Nikolas. "But later, women can set their own limits, based on what they know they are capable of, and above all, having understood the sea."
A chance to escape the day-to-day routine, getting closer to nature, overcoming one's fears and getting to know oneself are all cited by the new generation of women surfers as reasons for taking up the sport.
"My sister and I started out in 1995, aged 17, and we were hooked. But you have to be very patient, disciplined, and be able to use your imagination," says Daida Ruano.
She says that living in the Canaries has been a key factor. This week they will be teaching at a training camp in Gran Canaria for 50 women from 12 countries.
"They are aged between 18 and 35," says Daida.
"They get to know each other here, and we share our knowledge and experience with them," adds her sister Iballa, who is also a world champion.
More and more surfing events are featuring sections for women. Brands such as Rip Curl, Billabong, and even brewer San Miguel have organized events.
"A great many Spanish women are working as professionals, and we have the best conditions to train under here in the Canaries," says Daida Ruano.
Lurta Nikolas says that the older generation of surfers, many of whom are now parents, are bringing their daughters along to learn.
"It's not an expensive sport - a decent board can cost as little as EUR 250," says Maider Eguskiza.
Surfing first arrived in Europe via the French resort of Biarritz in the 1950s. But Spain didn't really pick up on the sport until the 1980s, and it has only been in the last few years that women here have taken it up in numbers.
It's estimated that women now make up around 10 percent of surfers in Spain, but the numbers are growing fast.
Women such as Estitxu Estremo, Miriam Imaz and Erika Franco are providing role models. Franco is just 14, but began surfing on the Atlantic beaches of her home in Galicia when she was nine.
"I used to watch the boys, and decided to give it a go," she says. "Nobody in my family is a surfer, and to begin with they weren't sure how to react. I like the sport because it makes you feel free; it's a very intense feeling."
Text: El Pais / Joan M Oleaque / Expatica 2008
Photos credit:
edans,
mikebaird
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Social changes see more women hitting the waves in Spain.
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