‘As a girl surfer, you have to prove yourself a little more than a man would’

Later this month, an Irish surfer will compete at the world games continuing a run of female excellence in the sport. Why, then, do some find themselves treated with contempt by their male peers out in the waves?

Surfers Maia Monaghan (L) and Una Britton on Rossnowlagh beach in Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne

Chrissie Russell

‘It’s hard to explain,” Maia Monaghan says with a laugh. “You just feel ‘light’, happy . You feel there are no worries. You forget about anything else that’s going on, any stresses happening, anything other than what’s happening when you’re out on the water. It’s a nice way to just focus on yourself.”