There’s a girls-only hour at one of the world’s best right hand point breaks. Could Aotearoa do it too?
Tyla reflects on Barra de La Cruz’s Sunday morning ‘Girls only session’, and wonders if the busier lineups in Aotearoa could give it a go too.
The girls, ready to paddle out. Photo: @bigwavebianca
I woke up on the 10th September 2024 to the sounds of my friend Maia waxing her board on her fluro orange-coloured single bed. The Barra de la Cruz girls' trip was made even more exciting by the rumor of a ‘Women & Girls Only Session’ no less occurring at Mexico’s best right-hand point break, every Sunday from 10am-12pm.
I was a little nervous coming to this spot because of its global reputation for relatively large barrels. I remember sitting in the back of our tiny rental car on the way telling Maia I would only surf if it was below 3ft and there were ‘some girls out there that surf like me.’ (Not bad, but not backhand Saffi Vette either).
The beach signage, in English and Spanish.
We wander to the beach, passing a sign that reads ‘Sundays 10–12pm, only girls and kids’. Almost down to the minute at 10am, the guys are getting their last waves and walking up the beach and the girls are paddling out. It’s like watching the lifeguards swapping flag shifts. Smooth, no qualms from any parties involved. Parties including me, as I paddle out with Maia in quiet disbelief.
Of course it was amazing. It was 2-3 feet, offshore, and there were heaps of girls out there catching the waves of their life. What I liked about it the most is that it was still fiercely competitive. If you came thinking it was going to be butterflies and rainbows, with a bunch of girls all sharing party waves for two hours, you’d be entirely wrong. But that was part of the fun. Getting the chance to work it out for ourselves. Being able to have the confidence to sit on the peak on a day I usually would have eaten leftovers on the inside. And of course, the extra opportunity for the up-and-coming local Mexican girls to get good, like really good.
As I paddled back out after a long wave all the way to the inside, I wondered how this all began, especially at such a world-class wave.
When I asked a local friend, he told me quite simply that “The girls weren’t getting enough waves, especially in the crowds, so the community thought we’d make two hours for them on Sundays.” His logical explanation, as if it was an obvious choice to ensure everyone got good waves, made me smile.
Two signs were erected after the rule was implemented, one at the top of the road leading to the beach (pictured above), and one on the beach between the carpark and the wave. Beyond this, not much enforcement of the rule seemed to be required. The only time I saw it was a friendly tap on the shoulder from a well-respected local to a few Californian boys about to paddle out during the session. They nodded and looked out to the line-up, seemingly approving of the situation, and said something along the lines of ‘We’ll go eat some tacos at the restaurant and come back later’.
I recently arrived back on New Zealand shores and wondered if any communities here would give a similar initiative a go. What if for two hours on a Sunday we let the girl groms, surf mums, and everyone in between get out there? On a late Sunday morning too perhaps, so everyone else can get their Sunday morning fix in first.
The rule was pretty well-respected in Barra de la Cruz, and I wonder if people here would be open-minded to the idea the same way locals and tourists alike were in Mexico. The local surf association was responsible for the rule, and enforcing and promoting it, but who would play that role here in New Zealand? Could it be the local boardriders clubs?
If one of the best waves in the world can get the guys to hang up their boardies for two hours a week to let the girls do their thing, can a lineup in little old New Zealand do it too?
Extra note: I’d also like to acknowledge the amazing community of Barra de la Cruz—Jairo from Camping La Joya, where I stayed for two months. (@camping_la_joya).
Alberto and his family for being so welcoming. It was a pleasure to share waves and stories with them. Thank you for sharing your beautiful corner of the world with us all. (@albertoricardezfuente & @chentesplacebarra, who provide accommodation and surf videos).
And also to Coral and the Ricardez family. Coral is an amazing local surfer and all-around human. She’s 16 and has a bright surfing career ahead of her. She spent many of the girl’s surf sessions coaching the younger girls in her community. You can follow and support her at @coral_surfer.
