Women Making Waves 2021

 

Nine More Women Shaping Our Seas & Surfing

 

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

This is the sixth year for SurfWriter Girls annual Women Making Waves story focusing on nine amazing women who are making a difference in the life of our oceans and the sport of surfing. 

Like the ninth wave in a set, which is bigger and more powerful than the rest, the women profiled this year have had a powerful impact on the environment and the world around us. 

 

So take a look at Women Making Waves 2021 and meet nine more incredible women. Scientists, surfers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, artists and more. SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel are excited to introduce you to this lineup of dynamic women.  

Archana Anand, Indian marine scientist, received the National Geographic Young Explorer Award in 2018 and a Ph.D. from Hong Kong's Swire Institute of Marine Science, studying water quality and its impact on marine biodiversity. An environmental engineer and marine biologist, she has been conducting research in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in India's Bay of Bengal. She says the islands "are a cornucopia of life on this planet, yet remain scientifically unexplored."

Nina Brooke, ocean and surf artist, Cornwall, England, describes herself as a "travelling seascape artist." She has painted her "secret spots" in Cornwall, "vibrant surf culture" in Hawaii, "magical light" in Sri Lanka, and the ocean's beauty wherever she finds it. Her Oceans Above collection is "a joyful celebration of the incredible planet we live on." Brooke wants her art to "remind people about the importance of the sea as a source of life and sustenance to us." 

 

Pam Conti, a teacher and Blue Water Task Force coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation's Huntington/Seal Beach, CA chapter, is at the beach almost every day. She conducts testing of the ocean's water for quality issues and teaches K-8 students at the nearby Pegasus School to do the testing and to respect the environment.  An avid surfer, Conti is excited to be one of Surfrider's Coastal Defenders and to "give back to the very thing that makes me the happiest, being in the water."

 

Lauren Hill, author of She Surf: The rise of Female Surfing, has spent the past decade surfing, freelance writing and exploring surf cultures around the world, focusing on the growing numbers of female surfers. "Women now make up 20 to 30 percent of surfers," she says, and "are claiming their rightful place in the sport." In addition to writing, Hill spends much of her time developing projects to promote sustainability and to empower women and girls through surfing.    

 

Ashlee Lillis, the Nature Conservancy's Coral Manager for the U.S. VIrgin Islands, is helping to save coral reefs in the Caribbean. Calling coral reefs the "rainforests of the sea," she says they support 25% of the ocean's biodiversity and provide habitat for hundreds of fish species. With a Ph.D. in Marine Science from North Carolina State University, Lillis is working on projects to preserve and restore reefs, which are at risk from pollution and climate change.    

 

Caroline Marks, champion surfer and US Surf Team representative at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, is most at home in the water. A multiple national champion, Marks is the youngest woman to compete in a World Surf League event. A Florida native, her home surf break in Melbourne Beach, FL, was just across the street. A natural athlete, Marks’ has gotten some of her competitive spirit from competing against her three older brothers. She’s always looking for “super rippable surf” and the “perfect wave.”  

 

Hanalei Reponty, founder of surfwear/activewear brand Abysse, is the driving force behind this company that makes functional and sustainable fashion for women. Born and raised in Tahiti, the surfer and model says, "Growing up on an island shapes you. Nature is omnipresent and revered." She wants Abysse to embody this belief, explaining "My dream vision of a company: Produce less, produce well."  The company uses recycled materials and supports environmental and social causes.

 

Pat Smith, founder of Final Straw Cornwall, a group that's cleaning Britain's beaches, took a stand against trash. The 70-year-old English grandmother became a woman on a mission - to clean 52 beaches in Cornwall and Devon. After seeing so much trash on the beach, she made a New Year's resolution to clean one beach a week for 52 weeks. She reached her goal, but couldn't stop. Saying, "The beaches need me," she started Final Straw to get others involved, too.   

 

Shannon Switzer Swanson, a marine social ecologist and storyteller, is learning about and sharing the stories of the Sama-Bajau people on the Tawi-Tawi Islands in the Philippines whose lives center around fishing. A Stanford University Ph.D. candidate in Marine Conservation with degrees from Duke and UC Santa Barbara, she calls herself "a waterwoman, photojournalist and conservationist." She has been a National Geographic Explorer since 2009.

 

Leaders in their chosen fields, each woman shares one thing in common - a passion for the ocean and a desire to make the world better. 

To see the previous Women Making Waves, click: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 

 

SurfWriter Girls

 

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

 

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.