Santa Cruz Film Festival 2009

“I never wanted to surf like a girl,” smiles 64-year-old Linda Benson, “But now it’s different...they’re really good!” For women who have paddled head-first into a once male dominated sport, surfing is not only a daily passion, but a way of life. Battling fierce tides and stereotypes, female surfers from every decade are connected by a common thread.

The Women and the Waves explores the lives of these female surfers who, through the decades, have chosen to paddle head first into the male dominated sport of surfing and found a place of their own. Surfer girls, women who surf, women who don’t, female athletes, and the men who love them gain insight into what it’s like to “Surf like a Girl!” This inspiring film, featuring generations of women surfers, reveals what has transcended surfing’s status as a “sport” to become a passion so strong, it is the dominant force in their lives.