Boards, Barriers, and Breakthroughs: Women in the Asian surfing scene are tiding over cultural expectations

Until recently, surfing in much of Asia was predominantly a male domain—a sport for local men and adventurous female tourists.

But across the region’s surf-rich coastlines, a quiet revolution is gaining momentum. Young women are picking up boards, challenging cultural expectations, and carving their space in the waves.

Whether on remote islands or in bustling surf towns, women in the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and China are finding their place in a sport that once excluded them, not just from competition, but from public visibility.

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In the Maldives, the transformation is unmistakable. “We got into surfing after seeing all the boys on our beaches pick up a board. We wanted to get in too,” Rahil Naseem told  Sportstar on the sidelines of the Asian Surfing Championships (ASC) 2025 taking place in Mahabalipuram.

For decades, surfing was considered off-limits to Maldivian girls. “It was known as a male sport,” recalled Shaziya Saeed. “Even the community didn’t really give a push for the girls.”

However, a breakthrough came in 2022, when the Maldives Surf Association allowed women to officially compete in a national surfing event. Rahil was crowned champion, marking the start of her inspiring surfing journey.

A marine biologist and keen surfer, Rahil was also part of Maldivian history when she became the first female surfer from the island to take part in an international competition – the 2023 ASC, which took place in their backyard, Thulsdhoo.

“After these competitions, we really got the opportunity,” Shaziya added. “Now there are a lot more girls. Parents are also aware that girls can surf, and that it’s okay.”

Maldives’ women surfers at the Asian Surfing Championships in Mahapulipuram.
| Photo Credit:
Ragu R/The Hindu

But surfing isn’t gaining momentum equally across the region. In India, for instance, the sport has grown more slowly, especially for women. Surfing is still a niche sport, and for many girls, cultural expectations make participation difficult. 

“Over the years, we’ve had some very good female athletes,” said Rammohan Paranjape, vice-president of the Surfing Federation of India. “But percentage-wise, it’s very low. There are a lot of barriers. Girls need support from their families, and they need to start young,” said Ram, a founding member of India’s official body.

A decade ago, the country’s first female surfers – Ishita Malaviya and Suhasini Damian – were anomalies. Their first national championships date back to a time when the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) was still struggling for recognition and stability. But Ishita, co-founder of the Shaka Surf Club, and Suhasini, ‘Auroville’s surfer girl’, broke ground.

“Initially, the men’s division had very few surfers. But those who stuck with it rose fast. The same can happen in women’s surfing; we just need to open the gates,” Ram added.

That gate is now opening for the next generation. Among them is Kamali P, a young surfer from Mahabalipuram. “I first saw her on a skateboard when she was just four,” recalled Jonty Rhodes, former South African cricketer and brand ambassador of SFI.

“In a country where it’s still tough for young girls to do something different, her journey is inspiring. It’s always exciting to see a young girl like that come through, with that sort of talent and support she receives from the community,” Rhodes said. 

In Sri Lanka, too, the water is beginning to shift, not only with regards to the sport, but socially too. On the country’s east coast, the Arugam Bay Girls Surf Club has become a bold symbol of defiance and hope. In a region where the idea of women entering the sea was once frowned upon, the sight of local girls paddling out together is a fierce statement.

While progress is building in South Asia, the East offers a glimpse of what can happen when the cultural tide turns.

In the Philippines, surfing has a strong presence, thanks in part to its popularity among tourists. But local women are now stepping out of the margins.

“I picked it up as a hobby, but it soon became my passion,” said Vea Estrellado.

Surfers like Nilbie Blancada, who hails from the country’s southern islands, have taken that passion to the international stage. She’s no stranger to Indian shores, having competed here back in 2015.

“There are a lot of women surfers now — not just tourists,” Nilbie said. “More locals are getting into it because we love the waves.”

Now, a decade later, she returned with the Philippines team, one of the strongest of the lot. Their skills were on full display at the very start of the tournament, with two of the three women surfers from the Philippines entering the quarterfinals of the Women’s Open.

Across the rest of Asia, signs of change are emerging. In countries like China, Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia, surfing is gaining visibility, and more women are finding their way to the waves. With Asian Games quotas on the line, the stakes – and the standards – are rising.

China’s best-known female surfer is Darcy Liu, one of the first women to represent the country internationally. Her presence helped raise the sport’s profile for Chinese women, especially in Hainan, where surfing is slowly growing.

But it’s Bali that remains the region’s true surfing hub, not just for tourists, but for local women too. Diah Rahayu Dewi has played a pioneering role in Indonesian women’s surfing, becoming one of the first to make it a career and represent Indonesia at the Olympics. Flora Christin also drew attention by riding waves in a kebaya (a traditional Indonesian blouse), promoting cultural pride.

The island’s consistent waves and strong surf community have long anchored Indonesia’s surfing culture. Now, it’s part of a broader shift, as women across Asia begin to reshape what surfing looks like.

Whether they’re chasing medals or simply carving space for themselves, one thing is clear: women are no longer watching from the shore. They’re out in the ocean, and they’re ready to ride a new wave of change.