🏄‍♀️ Bad waves are good for you—stoked to report

👋 Happy WhatDayIsItAgain! Anyone got barreled yet? 😜 Not me! But let me barrel you into the fourth installment of The Wipeout Weekly powered by Girls Who Can’t Surf Good and stoke (our word of the week!)

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• Bad waves are good for you

• Baleal Beach is where Europeans go

• Word of the week: Stoke

• Girl-Who-Wants-You-To-Be-Good-With-Aging

• The short history of wax

• Girls’ recs: Surfing is seeing

• Weekly popup ⚡🏄‍♀️🔥

• All-Things-Surf Directory + Surfers’ stories

^SURFODRAMA

😱 Bad waves are good for you

Should you wait for perfect, clean waves? Pick a surf spot with consistent swell?

Or just paddle out into whatever the ocean throws at you—whitewash, wind chop, and all?

I started thinking about this after a particularly crappy surf sesh here in LA. The waves in Venice and Santa Monica aren’t bad, per se—but they’re not ideal for moving beyond your first woohoo whitewater pop-up.

Maybe I should just hit a surf retreat in some tropical, wave-sure spot?

So I asked you—Girls Who Can’t Surf Good—and you all agreed on one thing:

Just. Keep. Going. Out.

Even if the waves suck. Even if you don’t catch a single one. Especially then.

As Kristen put it:

“Every single minute in the water is valuable.”

But why?

Because surfing is a holistic sport—not just a wave-catching sport.

Those less-than-ideal conditions? They build your surf muscles.

You paddle stronger, turtle roll harder, duck dive more. You learn awareness. You build resilience. You become adaptable. You’re not just a good-wave surfer—you’re a surfer.

It’s hard though.

Especially when you’re being bombarded with reel after reel of surfers at your level catching and trimming along perfect tropical waves, looking like they’re having the time of their lives.

It's hard to squeeze into your wetsuit, cycle to the beach, when the sun isn’t even out and the water’s far from warm—and all you see is the waves closing out at the back and whitewash central in front. That’s my life story. 😭

And here’s more fun: Your local surf break? It’s probably getting worse.

Sea level rise. Coastal erosion. Unchecked development. It’s happening everywhere.

This whole situation? Seriously. It requires next-level stoicism and acceptance. You have to make peace with it. Otherwise, you’ll never be a happy surfer. And if you can't find any joy in surfing... what’s the point?

Where to start?

👉 Don’t be above surfing whitewash.

As Kyla reminds us so acutely: “Surfing shite wash still counts as surfing.”

👉 And follow a plan like Crystal Anne:

“Flat? I work on paddling technique and endurance.
Messy and onshore? I work on paddling power and safety.
I swear by those crappy days—they make you a great surfer.
And hardly anyone’s out, so you get it to yourself.”

I’m sold.

Big thanks to everyone from Girls Who Can’t Surf Good who helped shape this one. 💛

^{SURF SPOT SPOTLIGHT}

Baleal Beach: Where European beginners go

Let’s talk Portugal. More specifically: Baleal Beach—arguably one of Europe’s most beginner-friendly surf zones. It has everything: mellow waves, consistent swell, walkable surf town, and those post-surf pastéis de nata nom nom nom.

Located just outside of Peniche (about 1.5 hours from Lisbon), Baleal is super accessible and very beginner-focused—so much so that it’s basically a rite of passage if you're learning to surf in Europe. It was mine for sure.

🌊 Waves: Classic beach break, split into multiple peaks. Plenty of whitewater for super newbies and gentler green waves when you're ready. Works best around mid to high tide—offering softer takeoffs and more forgiving rides.

🌊 Bonus tip: The north and south sides of the Baleal peninsula often have different conditions, so you can pick your spot based on the swell and wind. It’s a 5 minute walk.

🚰 Water quality: Generally clean, but can vary after heavy rain.

👙 Wardrobe: It depends. Water temps range from 15°C (59°F) in winter to 19°C (66°F) in late summer.

☀️ Best time to surf: May through October for smaller, beginner-friendly waves. July and August are the most crowded (and the warmest). September is the sweet spot—fewer people, still decent weather, and consistent swell.

⚠️ Hazards: Just your usual beach break stuff: rips, soft-bottom shore dumps, and the occasional crowded lineup. No reef, no sharks, no drama.

🏄🏻‍♀️ Surfboard rental: Everywhere. Seriously. Baleal is surf camp central. You’ll find dozens of rental shops, schools, and hostels catering to every level of surfer.

🍷 What else to do in Baleal: Watch sunsets from a cliffside café, explore nearby Peniche (a fishing town—awesome seafood), or take a day trip to the medieval town of Óbidos. Also: wine.

🏄🏻‍♀️ Solo traveling: Totally safe and super social. Baleal’s a literal magnet for international beginners, solo travelers, and surf campers.

^SURFLINGO

Word of the week: Stoke 🤙

I consider myself a proficient surflingo user, dude. But honestly? I’m not sure I’ve ever actually said the word “stoke.” Or “stoked.” 😜

The word stoke, as used in surf and action sports lingo—meaning excited, hyped, amped, or thrilled—has an interesting etymology.

It comes from the Dutch word stoken, meaning “to feed or stir up a fire.” The term also pops up in 17th-century German and English with the same meaning.

By the 1800s, people were “stoking feelings” or “stoking up” before a long journey (aka loading up on food). So even before it hit the beach, it already meant to ignite and sustain energy.

When surfing exploded in the 1950s and ’60s, so did its slang universe—gnarly, cowabunga, and yes, stoke. The Beach Boys even had a track titled “Stoked” on their 1963 Surfin’ U.S.A. album.

It never went out of fashion. I guess I’m just not very fashionable. 🤣

^{GIRL-WHO-WANTS-YOU-TO-BE-GOOD-WITH-AGING}

🏄‍♀️ Sassy silver surfer Inessa wants you to feel good about aging

Inessa started surfing a month before she turned 50. It was August 2020 on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi—surfing was the thing to do. It wasn’t love at first sight, she says... but over time, it grew deep. 🥰

Today, Inessa runs the Sassy Silver Surfers group on FB. Her mission? To live—and promote—a healthy, active, and empowered life, especially for women in midlife and beyond. 💪

Read her story

Missed any Girls Who Can’t Surf Good stories? You can find them all here.

^{SURF THRU HISTORY}

🕯️ The short history of wax—the unsung hero of surfing

Where would we be without the wax? In the water! 😂 

The ancient Hawaiians didn’t use wax, but they were spectacular surfers who developed board shapes and techniques that created natural grip points.

Fast-forward a few centuries, and your average surfer was rubbing sand or paraffin wax on their boards to stay steady.

Then came Waxmate—the iconic purple bar that smelled like grape and came with a fortune inside (yep, just like a fortune cookie).

But let’s get to what you really want to know:

❓Can you apply too much wax?

Yes, you can! It’s a mistake a lot of beginners make. Too much wax can actually make your board less grippy and feel lumpy underfoot—which does zero favors for your stance or balance.

❓Should you wax a foamie?

It depends on the foamie. Most are designed to offer decent grip without wax, but over time they can get slippery. A light layer of wax won’t hurt—and can actually help once that surface starts wearing smooth.

🎧 There’s more to surf wax, check out this podcast episode.

^{GIRLS’ RECS}

👓 How to surf when your eyes need a little help

What do you do if you want to take up surfing—but need visual backup to see a shark in the lineup?

And your optometrist tells you wearing contacts “isn’t allowed” due to the risk of infection or worse?! Not sure what can be worse. You are already not seeing that shark approaching! (Thank you Zai for asking the real questions!)

Girls Who Can’t Surf Good definitely have thoughts:

• Live dangerously: Just do it—but don’t open your eyes underwater.

• Live less dangerously: Go for disposable dailies and toss them post-session.

• Live half-dangerously: Wear just one.

• Be cool with not being cool: Try prescription goggles or sports wraparounds.

You’re not alone. It’s been done before. 😎

^{WEEKLY POPUP DRAMA}

Water > dry land when practicing pop-ups 😱

Let’s get one thing straight: popping up on a surfboard in the water is easier than popping up on land. There, I said it. 😂

Look—I’m still all in on “burpees for days” and push-ups to build that upper body strength. It all helps.

But science says: do your pop-ups in the ocean.

In the water, your board sinks and gravity helps. That downward angle and motion create space and flow you just can’t replicate on solid ground. It’s more of a jelly swing than a jump-thud-wallop.

To quote a random Reddit genius:

“Everything that is not surfing is different from surfing. There is no true way to practice surfing outside of surfing. You can only do things that help.”

That said… I still kinda want to try the cobra pose + feet-on-skateboard thing. 🛹

^HOUSEKEEPING

Tell your surf story. Promo your surf business

Girls Who Can’t Surf Good runs on surf stories and community recommendations. 🥰

Surf stories: A big thank you to everyone who volunteered to tell their story already. Keep them coming. I have two more of these cork boards.😜 If you would like to share yours, DM the admin/Zuz or reply to this email. If I missed your name, so sorry! 😱 Ping me.

Recommendations: We are building a central, searchable hub for surf businesses. If you have a business that you’d like to promote, submit it today: https://forms.gle/hZaWJWHkhBjR8YDV6 It’s free!

⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
If a friend forwarded this and you liked it, hit subscribe & join us! We will see you all next week! 🌊

^{MORE HOUSEKEEPING}

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