It’s a bitter irony that surfing, a perceived paradise of freedom and expression in a world of rules and conformity, is in truth the last bastion of male machismo sport. Men surf. Women watch. Men carve up dangerous waves, put their lives on the line and test their limits while women sit in the sand, gasp with delight, and wait for their death defying heroes to paddle back in. Mercifully it’s an attitude that is not only being challenged, but actively changed by a new generation of female surfers from almost every corner of the globe.
Championed within this beautiful 256 page coffee table book are twenty five surfers who all have unique stories to tell, including Bombay born Ishita Malaviya, India’s first recognised female surfer and world adaptive surfing champion Dani Burt, who is an above knee amputee.
Curated by professional surfer and writer Lauren L. Hill and publishers gestalten, She Surf is an exploration of some of Hill’s favourite surf locations, from the Seychelles to Italy’s Tuscan coastline, and the pioneering spirited surfers who traverse their waves. Hill’s credentials range from senior writer for Surfing World magazine to appearances in award-winning documentaries such as Beyond The Surface and The Church Of the Open Sky, and her ability to combine a variety of unique characters and stories with a common thread of bravery and adversity make this essential reading for surfers and non surfers alike.
She Surf: The Rise of Female Surfing, Lauren L. Hill, £31
