Too old to surf.

Meet Hannah. She's too old to surf....

Well, that's what she thought.

She sat with that thought for a while, then promptly squashed it, because she absolutely is not!! (And honestly, who decided there was an age limit anyway?)

Hannah spent years loving the ocean from the water's edge, never once believing that surfing was something she could do.

Until one day, she decided: why not me?

— ✧ —

So she gave it a go. 

Hannah has always been drawn to the ocean. Holidays meant swimming, snorkelling and spending hours by the water, but surfing? That felt like something she'd missed the boat on.

"I just assumed I had left it too late, that only younger people could learn to surf."

Then she watched women her own age and older start taking lessons and something shifted.

She signed up for a six-week program on Victoria's Surf Coast, partly to make sure she committed for at least six weeks.

Turns out, she needn't have worried.

"After the first lesson, I was hooked." 

The feeling of standing on a surfboard, unassisted, riding the white water was enough of a buzz to know she wanted more.

Twenty months later, she's still driving an hour and a half each way for her weekly fix, obsessing over how to improve and, apparently, daydreaming about the perfect 4–5ft wave.

Honestly, I love this woman. Her commitment is what drew me to her. 

— ✧ —

A Melbourne surf morning

Surfing looks different for all of us, and often, it’s all the moments in between that make a surf session so special. For Hannah, it’s about so much more than the waves.

It starts the night before.

A flurry of texts between the wonderful women she's met through surfing. Where are we meeting? What time? Which break? Is the tide going to be good? And, perhaps most importantly, please don't make the best tide too early because I have a very long drive.

Once the plan is locked in, everything gets ready by the front door.

Then the alarm goes off.

Black coffee. Protein drink. Warm clothes. Boards in the car. And she's off, most of the time well before 7am. 

She drives along the bay before hitting the freeway towards the Surf Coast, often looking out at the beautifully calm, completely wave-less water and cursing it for not producing a single rideable wave.

Once she's on the freeway, the music goes up and the daydreaming begins.

Maybe today will be the day she catches that perfect 4–5ft wave, trims down the line and feels like everything has finally clicked.

Although, Hannah knows (as well as every surfer) having expectations before a surf is a dangerous game.

When she arrives, the next game begins: is the grass greener at the next break? This happens approximately 50% of the time, apparently.

And honestly, I can picture it. Hannah paints the beaches beautifully: turquoise water against limestone cliffs, native bush lining the coastline, morning light turning the cliffs orange, Wedge-tailed Eagles overhead and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos making an appearance.

All the girls standing around, hoodies on, Keep Cups in hand, studying the waves and debating the next move. Do we stay? Do we check the next beach? And who’s brave enough to make the call?

Then comes the 4/3 wetsuit. The goal isn't just to get changed quickly. It's to minimise the amount of time cold air is touching bare skin. 😂

A quick wax. Mobility on the beach. A little reconnaissance of the lineup, where the waves are breaking, who's getting the best ones and why.

I honestly love this part. Hannah doesn't just paddle out and hope for the best; she watches, observes and learns before she even hits the water. And I genuinely think this little ritual is a huge part of why her surf progression has come along so quickly. She does the homework before the class. 

Then finally, the paddle out.

The water is freezing. The booties were a last-minute decision that Hannah is very grateful for. A hoodie? Absolutely not. Too restrictive.

They'll surf for as long as they can handle the cold, usually around an hour and a half on a good winter's day.

And somewhere between waves, there's chatting. Lots of chatting. Surf trips. Life. Perimenopause.

Until suddenly the person you're mid-conversation with spots a wave and paddles away without even finishing the sentence.

Because priorities.

Then comes the best part: getting warm ASAP, finding a coffee and a bakery treat, and starting the long drive home.

Honestly? That's commitment.

— ✧ —

What the ocean gives her

When I asked Hannah what surfing actually feels like,  not what it's supposed to feel like, but what comes up when it's just her and the water, her answer was beautiful.

Freedom. Strength. Powerful, feminine energy.

Hannah is a big advocate for women's sport, and there's something she particularly loves about being a woman who surfs, surrounded by other like-minded women.

But it's also simpler than that.

She just loves being in the ocean.

Warm water, cold water, good conditions, questionable conditions. It doesn't seem to matter.

"I always feel so much better for getting in the ocean, no matter the conditions."

And I think anyone who spends time in the water knows exactly what she means.

There is something about being in the ocean that quiets everything else down. The noise in your head. The to-do list. The things you're worrying about.

For Hannah, that feeling of being alive, clear and completely present is reason enough to keep coming back.

And maybe that's why we surf in the first place.

Not always for the perfect wave. Sometimes, we just need to get in the water. 

— ✧ —

She didn't just learn to surf. She learnt to be a beginner.

Surfing has made Hannah braver.

Not just brave enough to paddle out in challenging conditions, but brave enough to be bad at something again.

For someone with a perfectionist streak, learning that progress isn't linear has been one of surfing's greatest lessons.

And it hasn't always been easy.

Learning to surf later in life meant her body wasn't conditioned for the physical demands of surfing. She's dealt with repetitive strain injuries, two thoracic nerve issues that kept her out of the water for four months, and more recently, an A/C joint issue that required a cortisone injection.

Her body still requires daily mobility work, strength training and, sometimes, the discipline to miss a surf she desperately wanted to paddle out for.

But none of it has been enough to make her stop.

Because then comes that wave.

"The endorphins, the euphoria, the mind healing of sitting in the ocean and riding a wave."

And suddenly, it's all worth it.

— ✧ —

The advice she wishes she'd heard sooner

If Hannah could sit down with the woman she was 20 months ago, standing on a board for the first time, there's one thing she'd tell her:

Be patient.

Learning to surf takes time. Probably much longer than you think it will. And the progress isn't going to be linear.

There will be sessions where you feel like you've finally cracked something, followed by a session where you wonder if you've ever surfed before in your life.

Sound familiar? 😂

Hannah has learnt to focus less on the outcome and more on enjoying the fact that she gets to go surfing.

There will be fear. There will be days when your limits feel very obvious. But if you keep showing up and gently testing those limits, eventually the things that once scared you don't feel quite so scary anymore.

And then there are the women.

This might be my favourite part.

The best thing surfing has given Hannah is the community. The women she's met, the friendships they've built, and the way they support each other through the fear, the wipeouts and the wins.

Her advice to the woman who's been thinking about surfing but keeps talking herself out of it?

Find your people.

"I honestly don't think that without surrounding myself with other encouraging women that I would have started surfing or kept going."

Because when you see other women experiencing the same learning curves, the same fears and the same little moments of YES, I DID THAT, it makes everything feel a little less daunting.

And a whole lot more special.

You get to experience the wipeouts, the breakthroughs, the nervous paddles out and the “holy shit, I actually did that” moments together.

Sharing the same elation. (Hannah’s words, not mine.)

— ✧ —

Seven purchases later...

Hannah and I first crossed paths in a dark little restaurant in Lombok, which still makes me wonder how the universe manages to put the right people in the right places.

Hannah came up to me and I recognised her name because she'd literally ordered more Elation that morning (her second order in 2 weeks). 

Her first piece was the Riptide Top in Pitaya, which she had bought for Lombok. 

"I really wanted a feminine rashie and I am obsessed with tropical flowers, so when I saw this, I thought, 'this is it, I must have it!'"

Seven Elation purchases later, she's still here.

Her criteria hasn't changed: look good, fit well, and perform in the surf.

Her favourite? The Sculpt Suit.

"Looks super cute, fits well, and performs amazingly in the surf."

Honestly, I'll take that review any day.

— ✧ —

Hannah, thank you for reminding us that we're never too old to become beginners, at anything. 

That progress doesn't have to be perfect. That the ocean can give us far more than waves. And that sometimes the best thing you can do is find a bunch of women who will cheer you on and paddle out beside you.

Here's to the cold mornings, the long drives, the imperfect waves, the bakery treats afterwards, and all the women who make it worth showing up.

Seven orders in, and I think it's safe to say you're part of the Elation family now.

Hannah, keep paddling, keep going for it, keep being your most authentic you 🤍

Love, Mel xx

Find Hannah on Intsagram, being the surf queen she is @lifedisruptedbyroutine