One of the coolest things about wave pools is how they can curate a friendly and stoked surf experience. When URBNSURF launched a progression-focused space for women to surf together, it immediately resonated with the community.
Girls Go URBNSURF and Surf & Sip are monthly programs that offer women structured access to wave pool surfing through customized wave settings, instruction, and group events. The sessions aim to reduce common barriers such as lack of experience, confidence, or community by providing a supportive environment for skill development and social connection.
WavePoolMag spoke with Lucy King at URBNSURF to find out more about the history of the programs, what they serve, and why surfing needs this.
How did the idea for Girls Go URBNSURF come about?
Girls Go URBNSURF launched in 2022 as a community-driven platform created to engage and empower women, and people who identify as women, in surfing.
What started as an active Facebook group (2.5k members to date) was always closely tied to our monthly Surf & Sip event. To understand how Girls Go URBANSURF came to life, you have to start with Surf & Sip.
Surf & Sip presented by Rip Curl has been part of URBNSURF since 2021. It’s an all-female surf session designed for every ability level. Each month, half the lagoon is dedicated to the event with a Progressive Turns setting, giving progressing and experienced surfers clean, unbroken waves at The Point, while beginners enjoy gentle confidence-building waves in The Bays with female Coaches and Surf Guide. After the Session, everyone comes together for a casual drink, giveaways, and the kind of connection that can only come from shared stoke.
Over time, it became clear that the women attending Surf & Sip wanted more than just a monthly surf; they wanted a sense of community. A space to ask questions, find surf buddies, feel supported, and keep progressing together. That’s how Girls Go URBNSURF was born.
The group brings together women and gender-diverse surfers in an intentionally inclusive, welcoming, and froth-filled environment. It’s built on diversity, encouragement, and community—whether you’re catching your very first wave in The Bays or trimming confidently down The Point. All ages, all abilities, all women—everyone is welcome. Girls Go URBNSURF now runs hand-in-hand with Surf & Sip, creating space for connection both in and out of the water.
Surf & Sip runs from September to May in the Progressive Turns setting, and due to high demand from the Girls Go URBNSURF community, we introduced Intermediate sessions in June and July at both parks. This feedback loop is central to how the community thrives—it helps us experiment, evolve, and shape each season.
Our biggest Surf & Sip event of the year is International Women’s Day: a full-lagoon takeover in March, always a sell-out, complete with guest speakers and panel conversations. We’ve also hosted two full lagoon takeover Girls Go URBNSURF Day events in Spring, featuring yoga, surfing, guest panel and an all-female acoustic music lineup—continuing to create meaningful, energising experiences for women in and around URBNSURF. Some of the guest speakers and attendees to these events include influential surfers like Tru Starling, Bella Nichols, Pam Burridge, local surf authors, boardriders groups, Women activists, artists, and more.
What does it seek to achieve?
We believe deeply in the transformative power of surfing—its ability to build confidence, courage, and resilience both in and out of the water. Girls Go URBNSURF exists to help every female surfer feel welcomed and celebrate her progress, no matter her starting point. Most importantly, we want that sense of empowerment to ripple through URBNSURF and de-stigmatise surfing, growing to an equal lineup of male and female surfers.
Have you been successful?
Absolutely! It’s been incredible to watch women progress from first sessions in The Bays to confidently surfing Point waves—both in the female-only events and in regular public sessions. Our community has helped balance the male-to-female ratio in the lagoon, increase female participation to 37%, and grow URBNSURF Membership, with attendees becoming committed Members. There have been females that have met and become lifelong friends, older women who have come and re-ignited their sense of freedom and play through surf, solo surfers who have found their people and community and so many more incredible stories of encouragement.
We also see the impact beyond the lagoon—women tell us they now have the confidence to surf in the ocean, understand breaks and etiquette, and feel connected to a wider surf community across both wave parks and the coastline. Events consistently sell out, and when URBNSURF Sydney opened, the demand for Girls Go URBNSURF was immediate. The appetite for these communities is real, strong, and growing.
What are URBNSURF’s future plans for women-specific programs?
We want to continue growing the community, expanding into new programs, and creating even more opportunities for women to progress, connect, and claim their space in surfing—both in wave parks and the ocean. The goal is simple: keep fostering confidence and community for every woman who wants to ride waves.
