“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea” - Isak Dinesen
Have you ever craved a salty dip and headed off to the sea? Spent an afternoon by the river fishing or boating? Gone on holiday to the beach or even somewhere with a pool? Then you've engaged in your own blue space health activities and you didn't even know it! Humans have always intuitively known that being in, on or alongside the water calms the soul and soothes the spirit but it has only been in the last few decades that the physical and mental health benefits of blue spaces have been recognised and researched.
Blue Space Health is one of Siona's favourite topics. So much so that she wrote her thesis on it! First written about by the pioneering researcher Wallace J. Nichols in his book Blue Mind, it provides the foundation that Water Women is built upon. That time spent in blue spaces heals. There are many wonderful advocates and researchers around the world working within this field and we hope through our courses to contribute to the data.
Surfing can offer women affected by abuse and trauma a safe, supportive way to reconnect with their bodies, rebuild confidence and experience moments of freedom. In the water, every wave becomes an opportunity to practise courage, trust and resilience - surrounded by nature and a community that understands.
Our trauma-informed sessions are led by trained instructors and shaped around each woman’s comfort, choices and pace. No surfing experience is needed - just a willingness to take the first step. Surfing is not a replacement for specialist support or mental-health servise, but it can be a powerful part of recovery: creating space for joy, strength and hope. Each of our courses is evaluated using first-hand participant data, allowing us to measure outcomes, strengthen the evidence base for surf therapy and contribute to the growing body of research in this field.
Below are some of our favourite researchers and advocates in the field, alongside some of the research that has inspired and informed the work we do at Water Women. We hope you enjoy exploring them too!
Dr Easkey Britton
Surfer, Scientist, Author, Explorer
Nick Hounsfield
Surfer, Social Entrepreneur & Founder of The Wave, Bristol
Dr Wallace J. Nichols
Marine Biologist, Author, Researcher
Dr Jamie Marshall
Surfer, Researcher, Social & Health Innovation Lead
Relevant Research Papers
Siona's Thesis - What effects do Blue Space Health and Intervention Therapies have on the wellbeing of women who have experienced domestic and sexual trauma? Download here
Benninger, E. et al (2020) Surf Therapy: A Scoping Review of the Qualitative and Quantitative Research Evidence. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice. [online] 11(2) pp. 1 – 26. Available from: https://www.gjcpp.org/en/article.php?issue=36&article=206
Blue Health (2020) Blue Health: Linking environment, climate & health [online] Blue Health. Available from: https://bluehealth2020.eu/
Britton E. (2018) ‘Be Like Water’: Reflections on Strategies Developing Cross-Cultural Programmes for Women, Surfing and Social Good. In: Mansfield L., Caudwell J., Wheaton B., Watson B. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Feminism and Sport, Leisure and Physical Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53318-0_50
Nichols, W.J. (2014) Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company.
Pebole, M (2020) Trauma-informed exercise for women survivors of sexual violence https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8343580/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Sarkisian, G. et al. (2020) Introduction to the Special Issue on Surf Therapy Around the Globe. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice. [online] 11(2) pp. 1 – 10. Available from: https://www.gjcpp.org/en/article.php?issue=36&article=216
Small, N. (2024) The Groundswell Community Surf Therapy Intervention for At-Risk Women and Changes in Body Acceptance, Resilience, and Emotional Regulation https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11365036/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#sec7-27536130241278970
The Wave (2020) Into the Blue: Blue Health and Surfing in the 21st Century [online] The Wave. Available from: https://www.thewave.com/blog/blue-health-and-surfing-21st-century/
The Wave Project (2021). The Surf Therapy Project [online]. The Wave Project. Available from: https://www.waveproject.co.uk/
WHO (2017) Water, health and Ecosystems. [online] World Health Organisation. Available from: http://www.who.int/heli/risks/water/water/en/