"Her brother was not keen on her surfing at all."

April 9, 2019 5:57 AM

Shamali Sanjaya, a confident, 30-year-old mother and surfer from the small Sri Lankan town of Arugam Bay, serves as the president of the country's first all-female surf club. She leads group meetings, organizes beach cleanups and coordinates surf trips for the small-yet-growing group of 17 local women surfers. But just a few years ago, Shamali's experience as a surfer in Arugam Bay looked very different than it does today.

posted by Etrigan (3 comments total)

We're all equal before the wave.
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:00 AM on April 9, 2019

They look so beautiful and proud. It saddens me that they live in a place where men have as much fun as they care to, but the women are not supposed to enjoy anything, except, apparently, sewing, cooking and cleaning. Like..."go home and cook for your husband" seems to be a pretty normal thing to say there.

There's a pic of a few of the members surfing here; they wear rash guard-type tops and leggings, for anyone curious. Their facebook page.
posted by the webmistress at 8:43 AM on April 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

That opening photograph is amazing. Good for them.
posted by lhauser at 6:50 PM on April 9, 2019