Arugam Bay Girls - Making waves
Between the calming sound of breaking waves and the quiet rustling of palm leaves in the wind there´s an unfamiliar sound to be heard in Arugam Bay.
This is the sound of Sri Lankas first female surf club, the Arugam Bay Girls. Paddeling out into the lineup as a girl was never an option when growing up in conservative Sri Lanka. But, one day Shamali Sanjaya took matters into her own hands and made her dreams come true. Today she´s in the forefront, making way for her fellow female surfers.
Hey Arugam Bay Girls, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Tell us a little bit who you are
Hey Grlshred. We are a group of girls all ages from 13 to 43. We are students, housewives, moms.
We love it, so where did it all start?
It actually started back in 2011. It started as a collaboration of some of our girls that were surfing during weekly Girls Make Waves with the help of our coaches/friends Tiffany Carothers and Martina Burtscher. And then, a few of us girls were interested in taking our weekly Girls Make Waves surfing program to another level. We wanted to create a club like the boys had.
Why do you think no one started this in Sri Lanka before?
It took small baby steps to get to this point. It also took a big group of girls saying yes with their families agreeing to allowing them to go surfing.
It feels surreal to have your family approve surfing. Why do you think it´s more challenging to be a woman and do activities like this in countries like Sri Lanka?
Its culturally unacceptable for women to be surfers and it had never been done before. The unknown was a little scary. But those baby steps were worth breaking down cultural norms for.
Those baby steps are super important. How has the local community responded on the club?
Some were unhappy in the beginning. But over time, people are becoming more receptive towards it and encouraging.
Feels like it’s about to turn in a positive direction. Has there been any tough challenges along the way?
Yes, when we first started Girls Make Waves with Tiffany in 2015, we were told to stop and was even questioned by police. It took a couple of years for people to come around and see the positive side of us girls surfing. And when the Surfing Federation was established in Sri Lanka, that's when we knew we wanted to become the first registered girls surf club in Sri Lanka.
Why do you think it´s hard for women to begin with sports in general?
Women are encouraged to stay in the home and care for the family. Sports are typically for men, especially in countries like Sri Lanka.
What has to be done to include more women into sports?
It takes brave women to stand up for what they believe in and go against the flow. Sometimes it just takes 1 woman to change history.
“It takes brave women to stand up for what they believe in and go against the flow. Sometimes it just takes one woman to change history.”
- Shamali Sanjaya
Photo: Cody Carothers
Preach! Besides establishing this surfing community for local girls, what has been your proudest moments?
Other than becoming the first female surf club registered with the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka, we have also competed in the first ever women's national surfing competition. We meet often, do beach clean ups, surf weekly as a club and at Girls Make Waves weekly.
How many members are you? Tell us a little bit about them.
There's 10 full time members in our club. Some are still in school, others are wives and moms. Some work at home, one runs cooking classes, one works as a masseuse. Our club is for everyone.
Hope to meet you in the lineup one day. What’s next and what’s your goals and dreams for the future?
We love the joy that surfing brings and look forward to many more years to come. We look forward to more competitions ahead and off course winning those! We also want to continue learning more, bettering our surfing, teaching the newer generations and become licensed surf instructors to generate income for our families.
What do you want to say to girls and women wanting to start surfing?
Be brave. You can still respect your culture and family and have fun surfing at the same time. All it takes is for one to be brave and other girls to come alongside her. And you can be a positive change for your country!
Thank you so much to the Arugam Bay Girls, changing the world one wave at a time. Make sure to give them a follow on Instagram. We wish you all a happy womens day! Let’s better and change the perspective the world have on women in sports - together.
