Surfing
Surfing
Top 13 female surf movies
The increased visibility of surf contests through streaming allows for more women to see people like themselves at the top levels of surf competition.
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Whether it’s Carissa Moore landing an air in the opening seconds of "Leave a Message," or a young Coco Ho portraying a surf-obsessed little girl in "Blue Crush," women’s surf films have always been a small subgenre of surf movies. But that doesn't mean they haven’t been wildly influential.
"Blue Crush" was so popular it caused a noticeable increase of women in surfing, a phenomenon commonly referred to as the “blue crush effect.”
While events like Red Bull Magnitude and Red Bull Queen of the Bay are working to bring more women into professional surfing, there is nothing like a surf movie to inspire the masses.
13 Top Female Surfing Movies
Below are 13 top surfing movies with a female lead.
01
Riss
"Riss" is a Red Bull original documentary about the upbringing and career of four-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore. Released in 2019, it documents her season on the Championship Tour, she won that year, and her early beginnings as a surfer who has been in the spotlight essentially her entire life. The 41 minute film is extremely personal, including a home video of Moore when she was 6 years old explaining how to surf. The movie is infused with Carissa’s infectious optimism and cheerful nature, as well as her honesty about the struggles she faces to succeed. It is also impossible to miss her intense drive to win!
41 min
RISS
From director Peter Hamblin, follow surfer Carissa Moore around the 2019 World Surf League Championship Tour.
02
Alternativa
In 2018, the people behind the online magazine “The Inertia,” created "Alternativa" in El Salvador. It features three big names in women’s surfing – Kassia Meador, Leah Dawson, and Lola Mignot. By 2018, women-only surf movies were becoming increasingly commonplace, but it is still important to see these three women highlight their alternative views on surfing and life. They also explain their love of the ocean, hoping to inspire others.
03
Blue Crush
"Blue Crush" is possibly the most famous women’s surfing movie. It was released in 2002, during the height of the surf industry’s mainstream influence, and starred one of the biggest actresses in the world at the time, Kate Bosworth. In the movie, Kate Bosworth is a surf-obsessed teenage girl training for a big competition at a wave that women don’t usually surf. It resembles the story of the first women surfers at Pipeline and features a young Coco Ho as Kate Bosworth’s character when she was a child, as well as professional surfer Rochelle Ballard as her stunt double.
04
Soul Surfer
"Soul Surfer" is a 2011 biopic rendition of the unbelievable true story of Bethany Hamilton. Bethany was at the top of her field as a teenage competitive surfer when one day, while out surfing with her best friend, Alana Blanchard, and Alana’s father, Bethany, was attacked by a shark. But not even the loss of an arm could keep her from surfing and pursuing her dreams. She returned and learned to surf with one arm at a competitive level and is still a professional surfer today.
05
Unstoppable
"Unstoppable" is the 2018 documentary update to "Soul Surfer." More than 10 years after the shark attack that left competitive surfer Bethany Hamilton with only one arm, she is still a force to be reckoned with on the professional surfing scene and is about to be a mother. During the filming of this movie, Bethany is increasingly pregnant as she attempts to complete a bucket list of surfing goals before the due date–which includes doing air and getting barreled at one of the most dangerous waves in the world. Spoiler alert – she gets it done!
06
That’s Caroline
"That’s Caroline," released in 2019, is a Red Bull original documentary about the life of Caroline Marks, who was the youngest ever surfer to qualify for the Championship Tour, male or female, when she joined at age 15. She became pro at 13, and qualified for the Olympic team to represent the United States at the first ever event where surfing was included. This movie documents her journey, from her equestrian days growing up in Florida, to eventually following her brothers into the surf. Early on in the film, you learn her older brother Luke is actually the narrator, and that Caroline is one of six kids who were all extremely athletic. It's a fast-paced documentary about her life and the sacrifices her family made so that she could pursue her dreams of becoming a professional surfer.
21 min
That’s Caroline
Caroline Marks is just a normal young woman – who also happens to be the face of surfing’s future.
07
Surf Girls Jamaica
"Surf Girls Jamaica" is a short documentary film from 2019 about Imani Wilmot. Imani is an inspirational Jamaican surfer who uses the sport to connect with her community and transform the lives of women around her. She is considered one of the first Jamaican women to surf, and her parents are heavily involved in bringing surf culture to the island. But not everyone is so open to surfing, and Imani has to work hard to show the local women that surfing is a pathway to empowerment.
08
Leave a Message
"Leave a Message" was a groundbreaking surf movie that featured only top-tier women professional surfers performing at the highest level. "Leave a Message," featuring young up-and-coming stars like Carissa Moore, Coco Ho, Laura Enever, and Lakey Peterson, was a landmark moment for women’s surfing. It set the bar higher and was one of the first indications of how rapidly women’s professional surfing would develop.
09
Rip Girls
The movie "Rip Girls" was a Disney Channel Original movie from 2000 where a young girl, Sydney, born in Hawaii, goes back home after the death of a relative and leaves her with a plantation to inherit. She discovers surfing, which brings up unanswered questions about the death of her mother, who passed when Sydney was so young she has no memories of her. Sydney finds a surfboard in the house and, with some friends' help, gets into surfing and decides to preserve the plantation land rather than sell it to a resort developer.
10
The Women and the Waves
"The Women and the Waves" is a documentary surf film from 2009 that catalogs generations of women surfers who made a place for themselves in a male-dominated sport. This movie did a lot of work to develop the historical context for the modern-day conversation about women’s inclusion in surfing. Many early women’s surfing champions are unknown or live in relative obscurity because of how marginalized the women’s division of surfing was in the early days.
11
à la folie
A Red Bull original documentary, "à la folie" follows Justine Dupont, one of the biggest names in big wave surfing, and in womens professional surfing overall. The movie begins in October 2020, when the pandemic is at its peak and big wave season is about to open. It then chronicles the next four months of Dupont life, during which she had one of the most dominant performances that winter big wave surfing has ever seen. The 33 minute documentary is told from her point of view, in French with subtitles.
33 min
à la folie
Strap in for the ride of your life as we follow Justine Dupont through a ground-breaking big wave season.
12
Way North
The protagonists of "Way North" are more often found on the mountain than in the ocean. But that didn’t stop professional snowboarder Aline Bock or professional skier Lena Stoffel from packing surfboards on their road trip around Norway, all in an RV! They both wanted to combine their passion for snow and waves into one trip, and what better backdrop to do so than the snow-covered Lofoten islands of Norway. If there were ever a film to make you want to try cold-weather surfing- this is it!
13
Salty Women
"Salty Women" is a surf movie by Sydney-based Australian photographer Mark Morgan. After years as a water photographer in Sydney, he was so inspired by the unique energy and style women bring to the lineup that he decided to make an all-female surf documentary. The video focuses on women longboarders around the Sydney area. One of his primary goals was to show how women marry aggressive surfing with grace.
Conclusion
Women’s representation in surfing has thankfully become so commonplace that it’s hard to imagine only 10 years ago, a women’s-only surf movie was revolutionary. Thanks to leaders like Carissa Moore and her Moore Aloha program, there is more support than ever to get young girls into the water.
The increased visibility of surf contests through streaming, and the inclusion of surf into major events like the Olympics, allows for more women to see people like themselves at the top levels of surf competition, which helps encourage the next generation to be even better than the last.
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