Holly Beck Reflects on 15 Years of Surf Coaching For Women
By Hilary Achauer
Holly Beck founded Surf With Amigas, a women’s surf retreat company, in 2010. In the 15 years she’s been running SWA, which now offers retreats all over the globe, Holly has seen hundreds of women discover the joy of surfing.
A former professional surfer who holds two master’s degrees, Holly spends a lot of time thinking about women in surfing and how it’s changed over the years.
On the 15-year anniversary of Surf With Amigas, which started out offering trips in Central America and has now expanded to places like Morocco, Indonesia, and Peru, we asked Holly a few questions about her thoughts on women in surfing today.
What does it mean to you to have been instrumental in introducing so many women to surfing?
I don't always think about the influence Surf With Amigas has had on women and surfing. That said, I have received so much feedback on how the retreat experience has been life changing, even outside of surfing, for many women—that feels great. SWA was founded 15 years ago and has grown alongside women's surfing in general.
In the beginning, it was mostly women learning to surf, and now we mostly get women with years of experience who want to improve their surfing, or just have a fun surf vacation in a setting where they know they'll be safe, supported, challenged, and empowered. I wish I had learned to surf in a setting like that!
How does it feel different to you when you surf with a group of women, as opposed to a group of men?
Surfing with women feels friendlier. There's typically a drive to catch waves for sure, but also to connect, catch up, take turns, and enjoy the social aspect as well. Certainly some men fall into this category as well, and some women can be selfish and aggressive, but in general, surfing with women seems to lead to a friendlier and happier vibe in the water.
You've gone through many seasons of surfing—competing, being a new mom, starting a business, getting another master’s degree. Have your feelings about surfing changed through those seasons?
My relationship to surfing has changed a lot. When I was young I needed to surf. It was really the only coping mechanism I knew. When I became a mom, I had to learn new coping mechanisms because a lot of times, I just couldn't surf. I missed great days, surfed at the wrong tide or after the wind came up, and then had to listen to people around me talk about how amazing it had been. It wasn't easy to learn how to deal with that.
Now my kids are older, but I live in a place where the waves aren't amazing a lot of the time. I admit it, I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to good waves. I find myself choosing to just take the dog for a walk, or get work done, instead of prioritizing surfing. I've basically broken the addiction. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, but now choosing not to surf has become my habit, and it's something I want to break.
Who are the women surfers who inspire you today?
I was chatting with my business partner, Jackie, this morning about inspiring surfers. She asked if I could think of anyone older than me who is living this same lifestyle in Central America who surfs regularly, has a good attitude about it, and is someone I look up to.
I thought about it, and of all the people who came to mind—I was thinking of rad, inspiring women living in the jungle in their fifties—almost none of them surf anymore. And any that do still surf can get pretty negative. Jackie and I agreed that we want to try to be the positive, frothy surf women in our fifties and beyond, living life in Central America and inspiring others.
Now that you’ve celebrated 15 years, what’s next for Surf With Amigas?
We are investing a ton of energy into our team right now. We are busy with babies and other things, and we are still involved in the back end part of the business, but we can’t be everywhere all at once and we are realizing we have to put a ton of energy into having the best people on our staff and giving them the support and knowledge they need to do what we do.
As far as new retreat locations we are talking about maybe Ecuador or Baja California, in Mexico. We’re not adding a ton of new locations this year, because we want to see how the whole political scene shakes out. We have to keep plugging along and keeping ourselves together and supporting one other and doing our little thing and it’s all going to be okay.
Thanks Holly!
If you’ve ever had the chance to experience a Surf With Amigas retreat, you know the magic of their crew—the warm vibes, the adventure, and the lifelong friends made along the way. If you haven’t experienced a Surf With Amigas retreat, a SWA surf-and-yoga adventure should definitely be on every woman surfer’s bucket list, regardless of ability level.
Holly Beck