Byron Bay to host first Women’s SurfAid Cup

SURFAID is partnering with the Byron Bay Surf Festival to present the first annual Women’s SurfAid Cup Byron Bay on August 16.

The event is a tag-team-style women’s longboard surf competition, aiming to raise $30,000 to support women and children in remote parts of Indonesia and the Pacific.

Teams of four female longboarders will compete for two awards: the Surfing Champions and the Fundraising Champions.

Atmosea team rider Liah Herzer said it was less about competition and more about giving back to the communities where she surfs.

“As a surfer, I like to travel and surf and go to Indo and surf on those amazing waves and it’s nice to know I can also give back to communities that are in need.

“It’s important knowing that the money I raise will go towards clean water, education, sanitation, basic healthcare and mothers who are giving birth.”

Herzer will be riding a 9’2″ Retro Glide log from Willow shaped in Byron and designed for the local waves.

“It’s a shape specifically designed for women, it’s fun to ride, it has a traditional log nose rider vibe to it which I really enjoy,” she said.

Herzer’s team, Don’t Dairy, is leading the fundraising stakes, having already raised more than $4,000.

Other team members are Hannah Tozer, Stefanie Crowley-Clough, Ella Crosling, and Karley Bell.

“They are all amazing women,” Herzer said.

SurfAid operates in remote regions frequented mostly by surfers, where maternal and child mortality rates are among the highest globally.

Improving access to clean water, sanitation, and basic healthcare through SurfAid’s Mother and Child Health Programs could prevent up to 70 per cent of these deaths.

SurfAid works in Indonesia’s surfing heartlands – the Mentawai, Nias, Sumba, and Sumbawa. Last year, SurfAid launched two new programs in Solomon Islands and Baja, Mexico. The SurfAid event will be the first surfing event of the Byron Bay Surf Festival and will take place at Wategos Beach or Clarkes Beach (at the end of The Pass), depending on conditions.

The event will run from 12:30pm to 4pm, with a welcome barbecue hosted by the Byron Mal Club and free surfing starting at 8am.