A woman rides the waves off southern California VIDEO CNN's Jim Hill reports on the growing popularity of surfing by women Windows Media 28K 80K

August 7, 1999
Web posted at: 12:38 p.m. EDT (1638 GMT)

From Correspondent Jim Hill

MANHATTAN BEACH, California (CNN) -- Women and girls are riding the waves off southern California in a new surge as strong as the swells themselves.

They're learning to surf -- together -- at schools all over the area.

Former professional surfing champion Mary Setterholm says women learn better together.

"The women's group is huge, (and) it's ages old," she says. "You get that collective vibe together and we lift each other up."

It's not that women are new to surfing: They've been doing it for decades, carving out a spot on the waves right next to the guys.

In the Polynesian islands, where "he'e nalu" (wave sliding) was born, legend has it that the fire goddess Pele and her sister Hi'iaka spread the sport around after Pele learned to surf from the guardian shark god Kamahoali'i.

Modern surfing was popularized in the 1950s with the book and later the movie "Gidget," about a teenage girl's adventures in Malibu.

In the 1960s, Joyce Hoffman became the first woman pro surfer. She won women's U.S. and world titles, and recently claimed a spot in the Surfing Hall of Fame.

But surfers like Gidget and Hoffman had to prove themselves in a largely male sport.

"(The men) weren't prepared for women to be in their domain," says Hoffman. "Now it's so wonderful -- you see guys who are actually appreciative of the fact you're out there."

The $2.2 billion surfing industry is also taking note. Women comprise only 15 percent of the estimated 1.75 million U.S. surfers, but that's a 5 percent increase from four years ago.

Rick Paris opened his shop, Surf Like a Girl, after he noticed women want to put a feminine mark on the sport

"They're doing it with a carefree sense and a quality I just never noticed before," Paris says.

It all adds up to a new wave of women riding the crest of an ancient sport.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.