Surf Girl – July 2019

60 SurfGirl Magazine

C

her when did you first start surfing?

My mother and I lived on Oahu in the mid-

1950s. Seeing the Hawaiian surfers gracefully

ride their wood boards inspired me and I dreamt

of surfing from when was around 6-8 years old. It wasn’t

until April 1964 that I was able to muster up the courage to

politely ask a lifeguard if I could please borrow his board.

It was a small wave day, and he graciously agreed, so I

paddled his hollow wood Tom Blake style board out and

caught my first waves standing. Riding my first wave is a

thrill that I’ll always remember. I was 13 at the time.

How challenging were things back then?

Sometimes it was challenging as a young woman, as I

was learning on my own. The beautiful, free feelings that

surfing brought me compelled me to continue. I borrowed

boards until I could work to earn a used 9’7” board. In

1965, I learned to repair boards, and in the summer of

1966, I worked at a small surf shop to earn my first board.

When I began surfing in 1964, there were few women

surfers. Thankfully, most of the guys were respectful, but a

few men in California did tell me that, “girls shouldn’t surf”.

Some of us women from the 1960s are still in touch.

Back then wetsuits weren’t mainstream, so what did

you wear?

In the 1960s, I surfed all year round in just my bathing

suit. Winter was chilly! I walked to the beach wearing

a wool sweater over my swimsuit, and took if off at the

waters’ edge before paddling out. Post surf, the sweater

warmed me during my walk home. There were no wetsuits

for women at the time and the men’s beaver tail jackets

were binding and rashy for us women, so I didn’t wear

them. I’m thankful that we now have great performance

women’s wetsuits to keep us warm in the winter. Also, in

the 1960s-70s, most bikinis we could find were designed

for sun bathing only – there weren’t many suits suitable

for surfing. So, in the 1960s and 1970s, I sewed my own

bikinis that would stay on in powerful waves.

How has board design changed since you first

started surfing?

Surfing and boards have evolved in many ways since I

began surfing. A positive change in modern surfing is

seeing people exploring more shapes beyond the small,

narrow boards that many pro surfers ride. Since I began

repairing boards in 1965, it was natural for me to move

into shaping and making my own boards in the late 1960s,

which was a very dynamic, creative time in surfboard

design. I’ve always been curious about board design,

and love exploring different feelings on the waves. In the

beginning, I had no power planer, and shaped using a

hand saw, hand planes, a surform, blocks and sandpaper.

The first board I built was a 6’1” Rounded Pin Tail Single

Fin, then a 5’8” Arch Tail Twin Fin, and then a 5’2” Fish.

I worked my way through college making boards for

others: Long, short, wide, narrow, single fin, twin fin, tri fin

and quad fin, and with a variety of templates and bottom

contours. One of the biggest joys in life for us is making a

special custom board for someone we care about.

How has the sport and lifestyle shaped itself for

women?

In the US in 1972, the Title IX legislation was passed,

which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in

any education program or activity that is federally funded.

Among other equality issues, this meant equal sport time

for girls and boys, and more girls were able to explore their

fitness and develop confidence with sports. Prior to that,

the boys had sports classes and the girls (in my schools),

only home economics, cooking and sewing. After Title

IX legislation passed, in many public schools, girls could

choose both.

Also, in the mid-1980s the renaissance of 9 foot-plus

longboards intrigued many women to explore surfing for

the first time. It had been daunting for some girls to begin

surfing on a tiny 1980s shortboard.

How has the sport and lifestyle shaped you?

As a teen, surfing helped me develop confidence and

patience and also blessed me with creativity, freedom and

focus. Today surfing still brings me so much joy. Surfing

helps me help me stay fit and be present in the moment.

My husband, Steve Pendarvis, is an innovative surfer and

surfboard builder, innovator of the Pendoflex high-speed

torque tail. We enjoy working together and collaborating

on projects.

When we enjoy un-crowded sessions, we deeply

appreciate the peace. I am grateful to have surfing in my

life and appreciate each paddle out, each wave and every

drop of water. Surfing is a precious gift.

STEVE PENDARVIS

Cher, an experienced board shaper, sanding decks in 2018.