Summer’s here! New merch & program updates
Aloha!
Summer’s here, and we’re ready for it! Some of our Surf Swap groups with colder climates are gearing up for summer swells, while our groups across the country are growing as the sun shines and the surf picks up.
Happy one-year anniversary to both the Pismo and the Hilo groups, who have built vibrant, supportive groups from the ground up! We’re so proud of the work our coordinators do to create community-supported spaces that nurture maternal health & well-being.
The Pismo group honors its coordinators for one year of amazing work
New Merch!
We’re so excited to announce the winner of our art contest, Surfing Moms member Sara Papirmeister. We were blown away by all the creativity shown by the participants, and grateful for every submission.
We have another fun offering: Father’s Day is coming up, and in honor of the Surfing Dads, we’ve put together a Surfing Dad t-shirt & hat for the dad that helps carry it all.
Shop our store here to see all our merch!
Program Updates
Coastal Care
This year, our Surf Swap groups are bringing environmental stewardship into our regular programming. Beach cleanups are a natural fit for our Surfing Moms, as parents demonstrate to their children how to nurture and honor the places that we use and love.
On Maui, the program kicked off with dozens of volunteers picked up hundreds of pounds of trash. Our next cleanup will be in Santa Cruz this coming Monday, June 8, World Ocean’s Day. Our Santa Cruz coordinators have a very special cleanup planned, in which they will be partnering with Save Our Shores and raffling off a ton of great prizes, including a custom surfboard from Homegrown Surfboards. Next up is Hilo on June 20, International Surfing Day, in partnership with Ka Ipu 'Āina.
More cleanups and environmental education workshops are planned for Oʻahu, San Diego, New Jersey, Florida, and California in the coming year, and we’re so excited to see what happens. Check out our new events page here for details.
‘Ohana-led coastal stewardship in action
Rising Tides
Thanks to our Mother’s Day fundraiser supporters and a grant from First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, Surfing Moms was able to provide ten vulnerable mothers with their first surf lesson in a safe, supportive environment. While their kids were cared for safely on the beach, these moms had the opportunity to experience the ocean, build confidence, and take time for their own well-being.
We have another surf lesson planned for June on O’ahu in partnership with the Nurturing Wāhine Fund, and we can’t wait to see the stoke and the movement grow.
For now, we're partnering with organizations across Hawaiʻi that already support mothers in meaningful ways. As our program continues to grow, we hope to expand these opportunities to every community where Surfing Moms groups gather, making supportive surf experiences accessible to even more mothers.
A Rising Tides participant surfs for the first time.
Mother’s Day Events
This past Mother’s Day, we celebrated across three islands with over 100 participants, opening our groups to families in the community and welcoming new members. We are grateful for the support of the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation to help us make it happen.
Families gather at a Surfing Moms Mother’s Day party
Surfing Moms Spotlight: Tess!
For the past few years, Tess, a Surf Swap coordinator, has worked to cheer on the Maui mamas in and out of the water. She has a generous spirit and goes above and beyond to help swap members pack in and pack out during meet ups, takes time to engage with everyone, and shows up for community events. She is an expert in environmental science and grant writing, and this year she hosted a grant workshop for the Surfing Moms group, sharing her gifts and teaching grant best practices. She loves surfing, is an amazing mom, and has brought so much fun and good humor to the Maui group.
A hui hou (until we meet again) to Tess, who is leaving her role to pursue a new life on the east coast, where we will surely see her creating a new and amazing group of mom friends.
