{"id":126143,"date":"2026-04-27T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tracksmag.com.au\/?p=126143"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T23:20:56","slug":"why-arent-there-more-female-big-wave-surfers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tracksmag.com.au\/why-arent-there-more-female-big-wave-surfers","title":{"rendered":"Why Aren\u2019t There More Female Big Wave Surfers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Women\u2019s surfing has never looked more progressive – bigger turns, loftier airs, more time in the tube when things get heavy. While the performance ceiling continues to rise across the CT, that momentum hasn\u2019t fully translated to big wave surfing – at least not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the big wave side, there\u2019s a handful of younger girls getting into it, but it\u2019s still so small because it\u2019s just so gnarly,\u201d said former Big Wave World Champion Paige Alms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would love to see more technically sound female surfers get into it. A lot of the big wave surfers on the female side are senders – people who just go all in and are happy to push themselves. But there aren\u2019t many who can draw the kind of lines you see from the world\u2019s best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“There is a huge imbalance in the risk versus reward.” But I bet making that drop felt good. Photo: Christa Funk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Big wave surfing itself has shifted in recent years. What was once survival has become performance. Surfers like Kai Lenny and Lucas Chumbo are now drawing lines and throwing airs on 40ft waves, as if they’re 4ft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It begs the question: what happens if that same level of technical precision makes its way into the women\u2019s big wave arena?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paige believes the answer could lie with the current crop of elite performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re already doing amazing things at waves like Pipeline and Cloudbreak, which are some of the heaviest and most dangerous waves in the world,\u201d she said. \u201cI would love to see surfers like Sierra Kerr and Caity Simmers take that next step and go even bigger. With their technical ability, you just know they\u2019d be capable of doing incredible things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by John Decesare (@johnny_decesare)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n