Along the scenic southern shores of Sri Lanka, a quiet but powerful shift is underway. In communities where women have long been discouraged from venturing into the sea, a new movement is creating space for them to swim, surf, and redefine their place in public life. At the centre of this quiet revolution is SeaSisters Sri Lanka — a grassroots organisation using surfing as an instrument of empowerment.

In Sri Lanka, local women are hardly seen in the sea. Despite growing up on an island known across the world as a 'surfer's paradise', most Sri Lankan women never learn how to swim or surf. Traditional gender roles, combined with cultural expectations around modesty and domestic responsibilities, have historically kept women out of the ocean. In many rural areas, women are expected to stay at home, care for their families, and avoid activities seen as physically or socially inappropriate, often resulting in their exclusion from the recreational and economic opportunities of surf tourism. In recent years, however, the tide has turned. Since 2011, the Arugam Bay Girls Surf Club has brought about a massive shift in the island's surfing scene. Despite stiff opposition from male relatives and local authorities, the club has been teaching girls and women between the ages of 13 and 43 how to surf in Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka's southeast coast.

Inspired by the impact that swimming and surfing was having on the lives of the women in Arugam Bay, Amanda Prifti and Martina Burtscher — who helped establish the Arugam Bay Girls Surf Club, the country's first all-female surf club — moved to Sri Lanka's south coast to enable even more local women to enjoy the benefits of these activities. In October 2018, they established SeaSisters Sri Lanka — an organisation that provides free swimming and surfing lessons to local women and girls, offering them not just access to the water but also a new sense of freedom.

The core of the SeaSisters model is its Swim & Surf Program, which teaches women ocean safety, swimming fundamentals, and surfing techniques. Led by international volunteers and are designed to be inclusive, supportive, and culturally sensitive, these lessons are about more than physical skill — they aim to build confidence, shift perspectives, and open up opportunities that extend beyond the beach. For many women, these lessons represent a turning point and can potentially lead to careers as surf instructors, guides, and even as entrepreneurs. The program also includes an environmental education component, encouraging participants to understand and protect the ocean they are learning to navigate. SeaSisters regularly hosts beach clean-ups, workshops, and community events focused on sustainability and marine conservation.

To help fund the free lessons, SeaSisters operates a small ethical enterprise that sells handmade goods such as postcards and handbags crafted by local women. This "double empowerment" model creates income for local artisans while also supporting the free swimming and surfing lessons.

Today, SeaSisters is a growing movement of surfers from all over the world, stepping up for a more inclusive and responsible surf community. It's a community of local and international women advocating for more inclusive access to the ocean, challenging long-held social norms, and reshaping the landscape of surfing in Sri-Lanka and beyond.

Follow SeaSisters Sri Lanka here.

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