Hola, I'm Dani!
Mindful Waves' story starts with me - a Cartago native who moved to Nosara in an attempt to turn life around and be closer to the ocean.
It was here where I learned to surf, got my first board, and overcame the fear of being in the line-up all by myself. I started Mindful Waves with the hope of sharing what I’ve learned along the way with other women from around the world.
Like many of you, my journey with surfing did not start at a young age.
While the ocean has always been my playground and oasis of peace, I only got into surfing at the age of 24. New in town, I used to come to Guiones and watch the surfers at sunset. One day, someone approached me and asked why I wasn’t surfing–I said I didn’t know how. They let me borrow their shortboard and I got on the board (as best as I could, anyway). With the borrowed board, I met the ocean and felt presence, happiness, and absolute freedom.
There it was–the turnaround I had been looking for.
Every day since, my younger self would head to the ocean after work, grab a board, and play in the whitewash. It took time, but my confidence and skills continued to grow, especially as I helped out as a teacher at a surf school where I got to empower other women to get on the board. I loved it.
Years later, I got to work side-by-side with Andrea Diaz, Costa Rica's first female national surfing champion. Helping Andrea start her Women's Surf program, and at one point even leading the program all on my own, taught me that the connection between women and surfing is special and sacred.
Women at different stages of their surf journey – beginners, intermediates, advanced – talk about surfing in ways that go beyond just getting up a board and riding a wave.
It is a story about connection. It is the feeling of empowerment, accomplishment, and pure joy that women experience while surfing; how we feel strong and beautiful as we are one with the vast ocean. However, as much as women enjoy the ride, we often feel self-conscious or not good enough to sit in the line-up all alone. We feel intimidated. I know I once did...
That’s why my mission is to change the way women learn to surf
and remind women that they–and you–belong in the lineup, and any other space we choose to be in, just as much as anyone else.
See you in the water!
- Dani
