We caught up with Nina from Raglan’s newest surf club, affectionately known as ‘The Dames’. It’s a non-for-profit surf club with the goal of providing opportunities for local female surfers to build their confidence in the water in a safe environment, supported by an awesome community of wāhine around them. They run weekly sessions in the water, but have also started running some on land sessions too, where club members can get better at reading surf reports, perfecting etiquette, and also just sit back and chat about surfing over a shared pizza at Indi’s at the end of the week.

AWSA: Kia Ora Nina, thanks for stopping to chat with us for a minute. Firstly, how’s the surf been in your corner of Aotearoa this winter? Have we been missing much?

Nina: Can't really say we had a winter this year! We got some crazy, glassy, sunny as days, with beautiful little runners at the beach, just as if we were in the middle of summer really! We got around to surf the east coast lots too with the girls, which was absolutely amazing. A firing Whangamata bar with a chill crowd and positive energy! So, maybe you missed some waves, but we live at the most consistent place in the world right? So you will get them back.

AWSA: Tell us about The Dames Surf Club. How did it all start?

Nina: The Dames aka ‘Pussy Gliders’ started 3 years ago now, with the big desire of empowering women to get out there, all year around, in a nice and safe environment and with a cool crew supporting each other. Nothing was really happening for women at the time in Raglan, and everyone seemed to love the idea. I always wanted to keep it as a non-profit thing, and that's why we are now registered as a club. Everyone can come, enjoy a surf session, get help, encouragement, laughs, tips, photos, videos and give whatever they can at the end of the session. We created a little page on buy me a coffee (buymeacoffee.com/thedames) to have some support.

AWSA: And where are things now? What does being part of the surfing club look like?

Nina: We are running a weekly session all year around. Tide, time and day are always changing as we are following the flow of the ocean! Nothing is static in life, let's go with the flow! The sessions are always updated on our Facebook group The Dames Pussy Gliders and also on our Insta stories @the.dames.

It's been an amazing year, full of new faces and support. I really want to keep it rolling as long as I can, because I really believe in the power of women, and that helping each other is necessary in the surfing scene. I also believe that having a crew changes the entire vision of surfing, makes you feel stronger and more confident, so going out doesn't feel as intimidating after all. Everyone that comes to the sessions is now texting each other to go surfing with one another, so I guess the spider web is spreading! I love that the club is actually living and growing with word of mouth and that we don't need anything else.

AWSA: We love this philosophy that having a little crew makes everything about surfing better. Especially when you’re surfing new spots, and pushing yourself in new conditions. There's a few different surf spots in Raglan. Do you surf all of them, and it just depends on the day and who’s keen?

Nina: For the sessions, I try to juggle between small Manu Bay for the intermediate surfers and beach sessions for the newbies. The sessions are not beginners surfing lessons, they are here for girls that already have a foot in the sport, have their own gear and are already a little bit independent in the water and want to find a squad to improve with!

AWSA: So it’s been 3 years, and it sounds like you’re already growing so much which is awesome. So far on the journey, do you have a favourite memory of The Dames?

Nina: Best memory? Probably this winter at Manu Bay for a dawny session. There were so many girls, laughing, ripping, shooting, encouraging each other that the only guy out there that morning asked me "Am I allowed to be here?" Hahaha loved it!

AWSA: Haha. That’s classic, now we want to join. Speaking of which, for the wāhine reading this that live in or near Raglan and want to come and hang out, how does one sign up?

Nina: Message us on Facebook or Instagram or just show up! You can find us on Instagram @the.dames or email us at thedamesraglan@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for your time Nina, we can’t wait to see what the future’s got in store for you and The Dames!

Photos: Andrea Scheres (@seabound_nz) and Sara Guiz (@sguizx)

Checking in with ‘The Dames’ from Whaingaroa, Raglan

Herstory: Surfing in the late 1960s and early 1970s