Salté Sister ~ Stephanie Teixeira from Groove Girls
'Groove Girls' encourages beach babes from all around the Gold Coast to rise with the sun, grab their boards and meet up at one of our beautiful local beaches for some fun in the surf. Last week we spoke to founder of the movement, Steph, and asked her a few questions about herself, her love for the ocean, and what inspired her to create 'Groove Girls'.
So, you’re the sunshine soul who created ‘Groove Girls’. Tell us a little bit more about the group.
Groove Girls is a female surf group that welcomes ALL girls to come along. We host weekly group surfs where women of all abilities, ages, colours and boards come together to have a fun and inviting surf with a group of like-minded women. The main purpose of the group is to break down that fear/intimidation barrier that stops girls getting in the surf, with an environment that is safe and supportive to all who come along. There is endless support and encouragement for all the girls in the water, and it’s amazing how empowering it feels riding waves with so many females.
It must be so cool knowing you’re bringing so many like-minded babes together for a good time. Do you have to be a certain age or an experienced surfer to join?
It truly is amazing that I’ve created a safe space for women to come and surf together. We cater for ALL ages and ALL abilities. The only thing you need to do is bring a surfboard and wear a smile to join our group.
I know from experience that surfing solo out in the big old blue is a little daunting. Was there a lightbulb kind of moment that made you go… NUP, this group needs to happen? Tell us about it!
Yes, surfing alone in a male (testosterone + ego) dominated space can be extremely daunting, especially when you’re just starting out. There wasn’t a lightbulb moment, as such, but I’d previously experienced some pretty bad verbal abuse in the water, which shook me up for a while. An old Burleigh local had the nerve to attack the weakest link (me) in the water about myself “window shopping” (not catching any waves when I had just paddled from Burleigh beach to around the cove), surfing like a girl, and riding a pink board.
This kind of behaviour was becoming more and more common to people I was talking to and I thought - this has to change. The ocean is for everyone to enjoy. You’re not the best thing to have hit the waves, so please take your ego somewhere else and let everyone join the fun too.
So, a few months later I decided to get this group rolling to see where we could take it!
Are most of the girls who come along friends of yours? Or do you see a lot of new and beautiful faces each week?
In the beginning, most of the girls who came along were people I had never met. So, it was really amazing to see that so many people were stepping outside their comfort zone to get amongst waves with a group of girls they didn’t know. Since we’ve been running for almost 3 months now, I’m becoming super close with a lot of the regular girls, which is amazing! Also, my friends who had never really surfed before are some of the most dedicated surfers in the group. Even though this is primarily a female surf group, it’s even convincing some of my guy friends to get on boards and hit the waves.
How long have you been surfing for? Is there one surf spot that will forever have your heart?
I have been surfing on and off since I was around 14 years old, but only really became dedicated to it when I had a car and could drive myself to the beach. During that time I was mostly riding fish’s and shortboard's, but as of September last year, I decided to flick the switch and get myself on a longboard. I think being a surf photographer and loving to shoot the feminine lines of longboarding also helped to convince me to get a longboard. I think Rainbow Bay will forever have my heart, especially now that I’m longboarding. But to be honest, I haven’t travelled very far for surfing – so maybe a Groove Girls surf trip is on the cards this year…?
The Groove Girls instagram is filled with the most gorgeous images! Who’s been taking your photos and creating content for the page?
Since I am a surf photographer myself (@cisca.studio), I will either take photos myself or get my boyfriend to come long when he’s available and shoot in the water with my gear. I also create all of the graphics and posters for the group to ‘jazz’ up our style of content. As you can probably tell, I try to follow a groovy 70’s style approach to the content I put out on the page, to keep with the name ‘Groove Girls’.
Do you have any exciting new plans for Groove Girls? Maybe you could take it Aussie-wide?
Yes, we have some exciting plans coming this year for Groove Girls. Firstly, we have some T-shirts arriving very shortly, and in the next few months hopefully some stylish surf hats (handmade by my friend Libby and myself), and potentially some wetsuits. I am getting a lot of interest from other parts of Australia, so I will definitely be looking to expand Groove Girls Australia-wide in the next coming months.
What’s your advice for any girls out there wanting to start surfing, but maybe feel a little reluctant?
Just get yourself a board and come along to one of our group surfs. You will honestly not be disappointed, surfing with so many friendly girls and feeling no barrier of intimidation in the waves. We do all the hard work for you too – planning where to go, what time, depending on the conditions to ensure we have the best surf we can that day.
How can all of the Salté sisters stay in the loop and join the next Groove Girls surf sesh? Can we keep up to date on insta?
The best way to stay in the loop is by following us at @groovegirls on Instagram and on Facebook. Group surfs are posted weekly, usually around 2-3 days in advance, and all you have to do is show up to one of our surfs and have some fun with like-minded women.
