Mon 7 Jul 2025 • Elin
What surfing has taught us and what it keeps teaching us
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5 things the ocean taught us <3
When we first started surfing (and to this day), we felt all the feels—happiness, frustration, fear, confidence, accomplishment.
Starting Bonanza Collective wasn’t just about getting more women into the lineup or the surf community. It was about offering access to that wide, open space in the ocean—one that has taught us so much and continues to teach us every single time we paddle out.
Many women who come to our retreats have never surfed before. And somehow, many of them also seem to be on the edge of some kind of transformation—whether it’s a career shift, a breakup, a move to a new city, or simply a need for a break from routines and the everyday.
Learning to surf (and bringing it into your life) can be a beautiful hobby. But more than that, it becomes a mirror. It teaches you about yourself, your mindset, and your relationship with change in ways you might never have imagined.
What surfing has taught us, and what it keeps teaching us:
1. You’re allowed to be a beginner
Out there, everyone starts from the same place—on their belly, unsure, falling off. Surfing reminds us that it’s not only okay to be new at something—it’s powerful. Being a beginner isn’t a weakness. It’s courage in motion, and it means you're challenging yourself to try something new. You're allowing yourself to be vulnerable.
And when we remember that in daily life, it's such a freeing lesson: just because we fall off doesn’t mean we won’t paddle back out.
2. You can’t control the your the ocean (or your surroundings)
Some of us like control. We like to plan. But the ocean (or life) doesn’t work like that. Some days are gentle and easy; some days are wild and challenging. Surfing teaches us to face whatever comes our way—not with resistance, but with resilience.
And if we can learn to do that in the water, we can practice it everywhere else, too.
3. Fear doesn’t mean stop
Someone close to us is a beautiful surfer. She’s also the biggest romantic we know—and she loves love. But in a relationship, she sometimes found herself afraid of being abandoned. She started talking about it with her therapist, who asked:
“Would you stop surfing just because you fall off your board, get held under for a moment, or even injure yourself?”
Her answer was immediate: No.
Because the joy she finds in surfing is bigger than the fear of wiping out.
Fear doesn’t mean stop. It means pay attention. It means this matters. The ocean reminds us: the things that brings us joy always come with a risk of being hurt - but it doesn't mean we stop pursuing them or putting ourselves out there.
4. Progress looks different for everyone
There’s no one right way to learn. No fixed timeline.
Some women stand up on their very first wave. Others try for days before they catch one. All of it is growth. All of it is worthy.
And the way we support each other in the water? It’s a reminder to do the same in life. Watching your best friend catch a good wave is equally as fulfilling as catching one on your own. We’re not competitors—we’re humans doing our best trying to be happy. And we all rise when we cheer each other on.
5. Joy lives in the present
When you’re riding a wave—even for just a second—you’re not thinking about anything else. You’re in your body. In the moment. You literally have no time to think about the past, or the future.
This is where joy lives. Not in perfection. In presence.
And what a beautiful reminder that is—to stay present, as much as we can, in everything we do ❤️
If you'd like to learn how to surf, or maybe develop the skills you already have, we have a retreat coming up in September here in Biarritz - and we'd love to surf with you!
