Mon 1 Sep 2025 • Bonanza Collective
A love letter to Bonanza: Bella's story
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Like many of my fellow Bonanza girls, my story started with an excess of time off from my desk job and a deep yearning to get close to a natural force. I was on a walk around my neighborhood park in August of 2023. I had 25 days of vacation I needed to use before the end of the year—and no one with the same flexibility to go anywhere with. I felt panicked and sad. It seemed like I hadn’t explored anything “new” for myself in a while.
My mother, from a young age, always told me that traveling is more fun when you have something to do. “Life is not about just sitting at a café in another city.”
I knew that if I was going to travel, I wasn’t simply going to traipse through European cities on my own, journaling myself into oblivion over a glass of wine. I had been following Bonanza for a few months by that point, but I never felt like it was something I was allowed to do.
Like the moon calling the tide, 12 hours after that midday walk, a Bonanza email washed into my inbox: “2 spots left.” Five weeks later, I was on a flight to Biarritz.
One of my strongest memories from Bonanza was that very first evening—Guéthary glazed in its late summer haze. Amanda and Elin sat us all down on the steps of the villa we were to call home for the week. As they painted a picture of their friendship—born through a surfboard on Facebook—and their deep desire to create a space for women to ride a wave together, I realized I was about to be a part of something deeper than I had anticipated. Not just with all the new friends surrounding me, but internally. I realized the impact of surfing wasn’t just about the act of catching a wave.
Though short, that week has stuck with me for two years. Every time I’ve stepped into the water since, I’m reminded of the inclusion and love it’s my duty to continue to harbor and share as a surfer.
Unlike many sports, surfing was introduced to me as a celebration—a community of women who could explore something together, yet give each other the space to ride a wave alone. Falling into the water was soft but impactful, like the women who taught me to surf. I was set up for success from the start—with a wetsuit that fit (and that I could change if it didn’t), reef-safe sunscreen, and a seasonal homemade meal waiting back at the villa. Everything about the sport felt intuitive and free.
Confidence to keep trying—and to be okay with falling—was instilled in me through the care of the women I waited in the water with.
I instantly loved surfing, and not once did I feel rushed to “be good”. There was nobody to keep up with. Catching and riding a wave is about knowing where you’re at—what you’re ready for. As much as I wanted to feel the freedom of riding a wave right away, the ocean made me listen and slow down. My ego took the back seat every morning, and I was forced to trust myself wildly.
Lessons Outside of the Water
Over the last two years, I’ve continued to surf. Among the many quotes I’ve kept in my journal, I want to share three from people I’ve met in the water—words that continue to reinforce the idea that meeting a wave is all about listening and trusting:
“I’ve been surfing for 25 years, and every day it’s a new lesson because I don’t know what the ocean is going to give me. It will humble you.”
“I’m proud of you for coming out here and trying… You will be confident now in your life because you proved to yourself you met a challenge with grace and elegance.”
“Surfing is about the future. Looking into the wave (down), you’re going to go that way. I need you to look up. Be present and future-oriented. Feel what the wave is going to do next.”
Xxx
Bella
