We have a look at the local panorama of surfer women who arrived in the island and fell in love with surf.

By: Bili Puig de la Bellacasa

GRETA CHICHERI

35 ? La Coru?a ? Profession: Painter
Years in the island: 11
Years surfing: 8
Lefts or rights: Rights
Long or short: Short
Three words that define surf to you: Communion, inspiration, therapy.
Alone or in company: A little company
Dawn or dusk: Dusk
Favourite spot in the island: I keep it secret
Surfer women you admire: Rell Sunn, ?La Rein de Makaha?, because of her personal history…
Your best wave: A lonely right in Senegal, together with my husband, Chris.
A place to surf: All that I haven?t visited yet, in warm waters, with few people…
A dream to reach: A perfect tube in an isolated tropical beach.
And advise for new generations: I?ll ask them for it

ILENIA BIRBE JANE

37 ? Sant Cugat del Vall?s (Barcelona) ? Chriropractor
Years in the island: 6
Years surfing: 6
Lefts or rights: Rights
Long or short: Short
Three words that define surf to you: Passion, joy, freedom
Alone or in company: Accompanied. It?s always funnier to surf with friends
Dawn or dusk: Dawn
Favourite spot in the island: There are many, but Lobos is one of my favourite ones.
Surfer women you admire: Sally Fitzgibbons
Your best wave: Lobos
A place to surf: There are many I haven?t been to yet.
A dream to reach: Travelling to so many places?.
An advise to new generations: It?s never too late to begin practising a sport and enjoy, each person to their extent.

TERESA SERRA ROIG

32 ? Barcelona ? In charge of Top Hats Fuerteventura, a cap and embroidery shop
Years in the island: almost 5 ? Years surfing: about 7
Lefts or rights: both ? Long or short: Short, although some days I practise a bit of everything :)
Three words that define surf to you: Passion, dedication and, of course, life! ? Alone or in company: Accompanied, although on your own is nice sometimes
Dawn or dusk: It?s indifferent to me. Whenever the sea is better
Favourite spot in the island: Lobos and El Hierro, although all of them have their charm and moment
Surfer women you admire: Tyler Wright of course, although I also admire Stephanie Gilmore for being the mother of flow.
Your best wave: maybe in the island, or maybe in Indonesia? but I specially remember one in Lobos I fell in love with.
A place to surf: Indonesia, no doubt ? A dream: learning to catch tubes and travelling much more
An advise to new generations: Learning to listen and, above all, enjoying. Surf is life!

PILAR MENA CAMACHO

36 years old ? C?rdoba ? Full time mother
Years in the island: I got to the island in 1999 for the first time, and I settled down in 2001
Years surfing: I started late. Around 2005
Lefts or rights: All of them
Long or short: Short, undoubtedly.
Three words that define surf to you: Chilling out, training and fun.
Alone or in company: With some company but not too much.
Dawn or dusk: Whenever it suits me.
Favourite spot in the island: Whoever knows me, they know (giggles).
Surfer women you admire: I admire the women who train. hard, with a powerful surfing style. I love it!
Your best wave: It will be the one that, in little time, I will be surfing with my children.
A place to surf: A spot in warm waters and always in bikini.
A dream to reach: Travelling a lot with my family, nieces included.
An advise to new generations: To never stop surfing, to realise how lucky they have been to be enjoying this life style since they were born? and to look after the beaches and the sea.

SONIA RU?Z CASCAJAR

46 ? Bilbao ? Geological Engineer
Years in the island: 21 ? Years surfing: 16-17.
Lefts or rights: Lefts.
Long or short: Short by now, maybe long in a few years.
Three words that define surf to you: Freedom, humility, joy.
Alone or in company: both ways
Dawn or dusk: dusk.
Favourite spot in the island: Anyone in the north, south, east or west.
Surfer women you admire: No one in particular. In fact I don?t follow anyone.
Your best wave: Anyone in the north, south, east or west.
A place to surf: Anyone where the water temperature is higher than 25?C.
A dream to reach: keeping the excitement of practising this sport and in good health.
An advise to new generations: I would encourage more girls to practise it and consider it as a joy, not as a day-to-day competition.

LAURA P?REZ SOBR?N

39 ? Ferrol, Galicia ? Physical Education Teacher
Years in the island: Three years in September.
Years surfing: 13, bodyboard and 8, surfing on board.
Lefts or rights: It?s the same to me.
Long or short: Short, but lately I?m getting interested in the Long because my husband made me one.
Three words that define surf to you: Essential, getting away and effort ? Alone or in company: I enjoy it more with some friends.
Dawn or dusk: dusk.
Favourite spot in the island: El Hierro.
Your best wave: Do?inos.
A place to surf: Do?inos in Summer and Fuerte in Winter.
A dream to reach: Touring around the world for some time with my husband and children… and collaborating as a teacher in an NGO.
And advise for new generations: Studying hard, working, exercising? ah, and more reading!

GALA PEREDA V?ZQUEZ

36 ? Ferrol, Galicia
Surf instructor in La ola Surf Camp
Years in the island: 4 and a half in the island
Years surfing: 10 years surfing, but I practised bodyboard the ten previous ones.
Lefts or rights: Lefts.
Long or short: Both.
Three words that define surf for you: relax, life, motivation.
Alone or accompanied: Accompanied
Dawn or Dusk: Dusk
Favourite Spot in the island: Punta Gorda
Surfer women you admire: Courtney Conlogue
Your best wave: Super tubes in Portugal
A place to surf:: Doni?os, Galicia
A dream to reach: Going to Tahiti.
An advise for new generations: Living a bit closer to the sea and less mobile phones!

ROSSELLA CHIOSTRI

42. I hope not many people get to know this! (giggles) ? Italy ? I?m working in Redshark, a kite shop and school in Corralejo
Years in the island: 12
Years surfing: 15, I could do it better than I do! (giggles).
Lefts or rights: lefts, if I can choose
Long or short: Short, but in Summer I surf on a wonderful copy of a Scorpion Takayama 6,8, which is like surfing on a long board.
Three words that define surf to you: game, freedom, friends ? Alone or in company: In company; playing alone isn?t funny
Dawn or dusk: Unfortunately, my best rides are at dawn although I love sleeping.
Favourite spot in the island: I?m a regular of ?Punta Gorda?, but I like surfing in any spot if it?s not too crowded. I?m a surfer, no stress…
Surfer women you admire: My friend Pili, from Fuertetribu In the island. When I didn?t know her yet, I loved watching her surfing with such a style and power at a time, and always smiling!
Your best wave: Each one I have managed to catch in my life!
A place to surf: Nowhere like home, but I really went crazy in The Maldives.
A dream to reach: rather than a dream I would say a wish: I chose to settle here because I fell in love with the island the moment I saw it. Then, surfing came?. What I wish from the bottom of my heart is Fuerteventura never lose its spirit, really. We must look after our island!
An advise to new generations: training hard and believing in your potential. Appreciating your roots and being aware of how lucky you are to live in this paradise.

MICH?LE DAMS

36 ? Belgium ? In charge of the Spa
Years in the island: 7 years in Fuerteventura and, previously, 5 in Las Palmas.
Years surfing: 7
Lefts or rights: Both of them, clean and long, if possible.
Long or short: Short
Three words that define surf to you: Passion, freedom, expression.
Alone or in company: Accompanied, but no more than 5 people in the peak (dreaming is free).
Dawn or dusk: Dawn
Favourite spot in the island: Depending on the season.
Surfer women you admire: Stephanie Gilmore for her great style and good temper, and Laura Enever for her guts and good temper, I like good temper…
Your best wave: It was in Nicaragua, Santana Beach, near Popoyo, where I was on a surfing trip with my friend Marie. It was the last bath of our holidays and the sea was totally glassy. There were rays surrounding us, and one of them leapt on the air leaving us all speechless and then another beautiful series came, I caught a long left and I rode it as if it were the last wave in my life.
A place to surf: any breakpoint! I?m travelling to The Maldives; no doubt, a place to surf.
A dream to reach: One shared by many, isn?t it?: going on a surfing trip with my partner or friends and finding any secret wave in warm waters, with no wind and keep it secret! Ah?. And where we can find some turtles and dolphins and, why not, a ship with a bar where you can chill out and have a cool beer.
An advise to new generations: enjoying the whole journey: life is beautiful!