Surfing Mom’s nonprofit helps carers get on board – Orange County Register

It’s a chance for caregivers to take care of themselves, re-energize in the salty ocean waters and enjoy the thrills of riding the waves.

Pop out on the sands on any given Sunday in Redondo Beach and you might catch a group of moms catching the waves, along with others there to help through the “surf swap.” ” weekly.

Surfing Moms, a nonprofit that was born in Australia and later adopted in Hawaii, has ridden a wave into the South Bay, with satellite surf groups popping up from San Francisco and Santa Cruz to the south. in San Diego. There are also plans to expand to Orange County over the summer.

The idea is simple: You show up and catch a few waves while another mother watches your baby, then you switch places, babysitting on the sand while that mother surfs.

Anna Shoemaker, vice president of the nonprofit Surfing Moms and Palos Verdes Peninsula native, was visiting family here on vacation from Oahu, where she lives and runs a regular meet-up group in Kailua.

The mother of two, now 5 and 7, connects with founder Elizabeth Madin, a marine biologist and mother of three who founded the group in Hawaii in 2018. That group is based on a chapter Similar programs have been established in Australia, where she lives. many years.

Shoemaker formed the group after searching for like-minded people in Hawaii.

She has tried strolling and church groups, but most have focused on playtime with her children rather than helping to improve her own mental state, which she needed after struggling with depression. after birth.

Then she visited the “surf moms group” in 2018 and found the newly formed nonprofit just as they were getting ready for their first meeting in Honolulu.

Shoemaker says it took several meetings before she felt comfortable sailing out and leaving her kids on the beach with other people she just met.

But for Shoemaker, it’s more than just catching a few waves.

“This is an opportunity to let your kids play and let them enjoy the joy we all share, the ocean,” said Shoemaker, who learned to surf when she was 12.

And while every mother is different, she says, they are all on the same journey.

“We were all in it together,” she said.

In the Kailua chapter on Oahu, two high school moms show up unaccompanied, just to help and learn how to surf.

“I think it’s personal for each mother that comes in,” she said. “For me personally, it felt like a lifesaver at the time. We all understand each other with the basic understanding that we all need rest.”

Sometimes, Shoemaker takes her husband to group meetings and they have a rare “surf date” while others watch their kids.

The group released a documentary last year, shot by Shoemaker’s longtime friend Candace Stalder, who later joined to help as a South Bay organizer; Stalder also heads the social media outreach team.

While the pandemic has slowed the group’s momentum – with beaches closing in 2020 – get-togethers are happening again, with Redondo Beach’s chapter debuting last September.

Stalder likes what the group stands for – bringing together a community of people willing to help each other.

Stalder, who grew up in Hermosa Beach and started surfing at the age of 9, said: “I realized what Surfing Moms is and what it has to offer, saying: “It’s geared towards moms who need to get back in the water. , need to take care of yourself. ”

She has a saying – you can’t pour from an empty cup.

“Surf moms let you refill that cup for whatever you need, for that week or day,” she says.

She quit surfing in her 20s during a difficult time in her life, then found a surfing community at Torrance Beach that “brought me back to life”.

“Surfers tend to have the same mentality, we all notice each other,” Stalder said. “It was a lifesaver. A lot of women are in need of that. They’ve been looking for this opportunity, or need to take care of themselves, to get back into something they love. ”

That’s what they can expect during the week.

“Things are tough, but I know on Sunday I’m going to get on the air or just get out of the house.

She recalls one mother who ended up just talking to her in the sand for half an hour.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t spoken to an adult other than my partner in a long time,” the woman apologized.

And that’s fine by Stalder. The whole point is to have a safe space for the mother or caregiver, whatever their needs may be, she says.

It could mean being in the water for five minutes or just sitting on the beach meditating for 20 minutes, she says.

The group isn’t just about mothers, Stalder said. A good friend, a single father, recently told her that he wished he had a group of fathers and she urged him to join Surfing Moms.

“We all fit in,” says Stalder. “We don’t care about your gender, your sexual orientation – all caregivers need this or will benefit from it.”

While anyone curious can come check out the team, there’s a monthly membership to join the surf swaps, with an annual fee of $52 to cover insurance and liability. Information: Surmoms.org