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Bikinis – to surf or not to surf?

When watching surf movies such as Blue Crush I’m often in awe of the girls with their beautiful bodies clad in skimpy bikinis taking on some of the world’s biggest waves… and left wishing I was that fearless surfer girl with a hot body and a tiny bikini.

The good news is that this is quite frankly… all a lie! Bikinis, especially those of the “string” type, are by no means surfer-friendly. No matter how professional you are, there are still those waves that get the better of you and leave you jumping up, with bits popping out and more skin visible than is socially acceptable! In this typical “Catch 22” situation, do you:

a) Jump up, climb back on your board and act super cool as if nothing is out of the ordinary. b) Re-arrange and adjust, resulting in a missed wave or worse being knocked over by one. c) Make light of the situation and laugh at yourself.

In my experience – I find option c works best!

Luckily in surf spots like Cape Town, South Africa this is not a dilemma we are faced with often, as with maximum sea temperatures of about 10 degrees everything is nicely tucked away and kept for safe keeping under a thick layer of neoprene. There is also something about a wetsuit that makes you feel invincible before you even get in the water. Just make sure your wetsuit is nicely fitted rather than on the loose side of the scale – otherwise you could end up looking a bit like a chubby seal.

If however you are lucky enough to be surfing in warm water and a wetsuit is not an option then there are some reinforcement alternatives. Surf brands are starting to make safer “semi-sport-bra” type bikinis or you can always wear your bikini bottoms with a fitted rash-vest. These are both great in that you still look the part and are in the summer vibe, but you don’t have to stop mid-wave to adjust and then end up wiping out. Too add to this, in order to feel great in your surfer style bikini make sure you brush up on those ab exercises and that you’ve got a nice tan… that way if anything untoward does happen it is not the end of the world!