Surf lessons for the youth, many of whom have never even seen the ocean

Living on the Central Coast, it’s hard to imagine never having seen the ocean, but some living here have not.

The Wahine Project is a group committed to teaching kids, many having never seen the ocean, how to surf. The group started 10 years ago, teaching only girls. The group’s mission is “to bring down the barriers of diversity of girls, and bring them to the ocean where they can all be one,” says Dave Eckstadt who works with the project .

Believe it or not, even though the Central Coast is right next to the ocean, many people haven’t been to it. The founder of the Wahine Project, Dionne Ybarra, was one of them. “I had just started learning how to surf. And I’m from east Salinas, and I was out here and I was, like, ‘How did this ever happen? How could I get other girls to be out here?'” Ybarra says.

The project quickly took off. And the girls say they can now do things they never thought they could.

Team member Natalie Lopez said surfing changed her life. “I was 80 pounds heavier, almost couldn’t walk. I had had surgery and (surfing) became very therapeutic for me,” says Lopez.

The group grew so much over the years, it expanded to teaching boys. During the summer, the group shuttles kids out from southern Monterey County right to the water.

Wahine Project participants love catching some tasty waves, but they also use their time to improve the environment.

“At 10 o’clock, I think, we take a beach walk, like, to pick up trash and stuff- and make sure there is no litter,” says Dylon, one of the surfers with the organization.

To find out more about the project, visit: https://www.thewahineproject.org/.