It's a warm-water island with reef breaks, beach breaks, and point breaks dotted along 1,600 kilometres of unbroken coastline — with both east and west-facing surf spots pulling different swells all-year-round, Sri Lanka is a surfers' paradise. Until recently, though, Sri Lankan women were rarely — if ever — seen surfing the coastal blue waters. An oppressive mix of the island nation's conservative social values and patriarchal norms confined Sri Lankan women to the inner quarters of their homes. It was only men, and female tourists, who were allowed to ride the waves at Arugam Bay — one of Sri Lanka's best surfing spots for beginners and veterans alike.
In recent years, however, that tide has begun to turn.
In 2011, Shamali Sanjaya was at home when her neighbour Tiffany Carothers — an American surfing enthusiast from California who had moved to Arugam Bay recently — asked her if she wanted to surf. Carothers lent Sanjaya her first surfboard and taught her how to ride the waves at Arugam Bay. It was the beginning of a quiet revolution.
Since then, Sanjaya and Carothers — with the help of surfers and surfing enthusiasts from Sri Lanka and abroad — have brought about a massive shift in the island's surfing scene. Despite stiff opposition from male relatives and local authorities, they have been surfing and teaching girls and women between the ages of 13 and 43 how to surf in Arugam Bay.
Initially, most of their meetings were clandestine and took place whenever the men were busy at work or hanging out with each other. The women would meet secretly at the beach and go surfing in other parts of the island away from the prying eyes of the moral police. In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Sanjaya explained how they made sure not to offend anyone:
We told them we never do anything that disrespects our culture. We don't wear bikinis, we don't drink, it is just about getting into the waves.Shamali Sanjaya, to The Guardian
When the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka was set up in 2017, however, things finally started to look up for the women-led effort. In 2018, Sanjaya and Carothers established the Arugam Bay Girls Surf Club — the first registered all-female surf club in Sri Lanka. It was a watershed moment that marked the beginning of a new era in Sri Lankan surfing.
Today, the Arugam Bay Girls Surf Club not only teaches Sri Lankan women — both the young and the not so young — how to surf as a sport, but also as a source of income. The club helps them become ISA (International Surfing Association) certified surfers and trainers, and enables and empowers them to make a living from surfing.
Follow the Arugam Bay Girls' Surf Club here.
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