Making Friends With The Neighbours

So, I've been thinking a lot about that clip of part of Anastasia Ashley's pre-comp warm-up. I'm sure by now you have seen it. It contains footage of her sort of dancing on the beach as she warms up. The moves she does involve lots of hip rotations and the person who put it together has set it to a song called 'Bubble Butt' (at least, based on the lyrics, that's what I assume it's called). This clip has been widely circulated on surf websites, blogs and social media, but I've decided that I won't post it up here because I think it's really creepy. If you haven't seen it, I'm sure you can find it if you really want to. The thing is, Anastasia Ashley can do whatever the hell she wants. I'm not saying her moves in this clip are my thing or that I think it does women's surfing many favours, but if she wants to do those moves on the beach to warm up, then that's up to her. She's doing a dance move and it's provocative. So

Dear Sylvia, love Steph. from Morgan Maassen on Vimeo .

Neil Griffith (over at Modyssey)  took this image of a woman (Tiffany?) playing around on the Sunshine Coast.  Thanks, Neil.

Holy nose ride, Kassia Meador. I honestly don't know who took this picture, which makes me hesitant to post it. But it is uncredited all over Tumblr at the moment (which is something I really hate about Tumblr, actually), so here it is being blogged now too.  Because it's a really great shot.

Cape Solander, 13 May 2009. Sequence, Billy Morris via Coastalwatch . Layne Beachley is someone who just seems to rub people up the wrong way. And sure, I've seen her do some things and heard her say some things where I just thought, 'Really?' But I have also seen and heard many famous surfers do and say things that made me shake my head, so I don't really pay Layne's moments too much heed. But for some reason, other people do, and they really rub their dislike of her in her face. And the sad effect of this has been that she doesn't get the credit that she deserves for her role in  driving and building the profile of competitive surfing in Australia, and in particular the opportunities that many professional female surfers now enjoy. I wouldn't say she is the patron saint of women's surfing - not at all - but I would say that because people don't like her, they don't want to acknowledge her achievements and impact. She rips, she was worl

Here are just a few images of some women whose surfing I admire and who have made important contributions to surfing and surfing culture over the last few hundred years. And I assure you, this list of women here, is the tip of a very big iceberg. Engraving of women surfing in Hawai'i. Isma Amor was surfing in Manly from as early as 1912. Isabel Letham was the infamous teenage girl taken into the surf with Duke Kahanamoku in 1915. She was an amazing woman. As part of a long and full life, she was the Director of Swimming for the City of San Francisco. She decided to teach surf lifesaving techniques as part of her program. She attempted to join Manly life saving club in the late 1920s, but was knocked back because as a woman she would not able to handle the rough conditions of the sea. What a crock of shit. (Note: Women were not admitted as members of the Australian Life Saving Association until the 1980s. For real.) Isabel Letham is a total hero. You can read mor

Yeah they do. It's okay when it's with friends (like in this shot). (via my current favourite, the lovely Stillness )

I've already written about how  Melissa Combo is always one of the best and strongest surfers in the water. Her surfing and her style commands any lineup I've seen her in. This image is from Joni Sternbach's, Surfland , series.

(via Stillness )