Miranda Calkins grew up as a dancer and cheerleader and remembers being the girl who screamed when her hair got wet. It was not until she started boogie boarding with her kids at Long Beach Island, N.J. each summer that she started to build a deep connection with the ocean. Boogie boarding gave Calkins a foundation for surfing because it taught her how to navigate the water and carve into the waves. Her mother-in-law saw how much she enjoyed being in the ocean and offered to watch the kids while Calkins took her first surf lessons. Calkins was drawn to longboarding because it reminded her of when she danced in her youth.

“Once you're up [on the board], you can walk forward a little bit, you can do a little salsa back, you can fiddle with your stance and it's beautiful and graceful,” Calkins said.

After multiple summers spent learning to longboard on the East Coast, she was ready to test her skills in the Bay Area. Calkins most often surfs at Bolinas Beach but enjoys traveling to Hawaii, Costa Rica and Brazil to surf as well.

“I think when you have more women in the water, there’s less competition, and there’s just a different feeling … I think women are more cooperative and team players,” Calkins said.

“I think when you have more women in the water, there’s less competition, and there’s just a different feeling … I think women are more cooperative and team players,” Calkins said.

Balancing on her board, Calkins catches a wave at Bolinas Beach.

Balancing on her board, Calkins catches a wave at Bolinas Beach.

“I have a friend named Jenny, and she’s an amazing surfer. She’s definitely my role model because she’s not afraid to get out there. The thing about her is that instead of being like, ‘Oh it has to be this kind of wave’ or ‘I can’t go out there, it’s

“I have a friend named Jenny, and she’s an amazing surfer. She’s definitely my role model because she’s not afraid to get out there. The thing about her is that instead of being like, ‘Oh it has to be this kind of wave’ or ‘I can’t go out there, it’s not good’ … She’s always like, ‘It doesn’t matter. Just go out there and appreciate what’s there. If it’s smaller waves, enjoy the smaller waves. If it’s crumbly and rainy outside, just take it in.’ She taught me to be less competitive about [surfing] and more appreciative of the whole experience. I think when you approach surfing that way, you don’t get caught up in it having to be a certain way,” Calkins said.

“It’s not [just] a male sport anymore … Now women are really stepping up. There are so many young women out there laughing and having fun … so I feel very hopeful about surfing and how it’s changing,” Calkins said.

“It’s not [just] a male sport anymore … Now women are really stepping up. There are so many young women out there laughing and having fun … so I feel very hopeful about surfing and how it’s changing,” Calkins said.

"[When I caught my first wave], I rode it all the way down to the end and it was just so freeing. I loved having the wave behind me ... it was magical," Calkins said.

"[When I caught my first wave], I rode it all the way down to the end and it was just so freeing. I loved having the wave behind me ... it was magical," Calkins said.