Sisterhood of the shred: New surf club empowers women to enjoy the waves

A SOCIAL surf club for women and girls of all ages and abilities has launched on the Surf Coast.

Founded by friends Meg Hellard, Chelsea Eggleton and Georgia Mckinnon, the Saltwater Sisters Surf Club meets weekly for a chat and surf at beaches across the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula.

The group is open to everyone and aims to provide a supportive environment for women looking to enjoy the waves with a group of likeminded individuals.

“It’s a safe space for women to feel like they can go out and just have a go in the ocean,” Hellard, 23, said.

“Unfortunately, even though it is for everyone, surfing is very male dominated down here, so it can be a bit daunting when you paddle out.

“But I feel like when you’ve got a group of girls together, you feel empowered to just go out and have a go.”

Approaching only its fourth meet up, interest in the Saltwater Sisters surfing community has grown swiftly, with between 30-40 women joining the club’s first surf session on April 14 and the club’s Instagram page swelling to almost 700 followers.

The trio remain shocked at the level of interest the local community has already shown in the club.

“We’ve had a woman say that she wants to bring her daughter down who’s 15. We’ve had women who are in their 50s want to get out for a surf with other women, and everyone in between, so it’s been really good and very inclusive,” Hellard said.

Eggleton, 24, said they’d like to see the Saltwater Sisters community grow outside the water as well, with dinners and other social outings on the horizon for those interested.

But for now, she said, they were just “having fun in the water” and “still learning” themselves.

“It’s just nice that it’s a way to connect with other women who want to do the same thing,” she said.

“Everyone has been so lovely. I’ve been blown away by how chatty everyone is and how welcoming people are and how brave people are as well.”

The three friends have now also established a Facebook page where club members can connect and organise surfing sessions together.

Mckinnon, 24, encouraged all those interested in finding out more about the Saltwater Sisters surfing community to join them at their next scheduled meet up.

“Everybody’s welcome to come down,” she said.

“[You] don’t have to bring a board.

“There’s been a few girls that have just come down for a swim or just to watch. [It’s about] just coming down and talking and getting to know everyone and realising that we’re all really friendly.”