Longtime Santa Cruz surfer Alaya Vautier has spent three decades in the water and says sexism, racism and exclusion remain deeply embedded in local surf culture. While she respects the intentions behind a female surf statue – now proposed for Capitola – she believes symbolism alone cannot address those problems and might even reinforce narrow ideas about who belongs in the lineup.
Surfing
Posted inLatest News
Team behind proposed female surfer statue sets sights on a new location for 2027 installation
The “To Honor the Women of the Water” project team is shifting to the Capitola Esplanade for its female surfer statue, rather than the East Cliff Dirt Farm in Pleasure Point, to be the home of the statue after it was appealed. The Capitola City Council is expected to vote on the project in the coming months.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
Longest-running longboard surf contest in the U.S. returns to Steamer Lane
The Santa Cruz Longboard Union Club Invitational, the longest-running longboard surf contest in the United States, returns to Steamer Lane this Memorial Day weekend.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I helped design the male surfer statue – here’s why the female surfer monument deserves to move forward
The proposed monument to women surfers in Pleasure Point is drawing both strong support and familiar resistance. But as a co-creator of Santa Cruz’s iconic “To Honor Surfing” statue, author Brian W. Curtis says he’s seen how meaningful public art can shape community identity. He believes the monument is thoughtfully designed and locally rooted and, since it’s privately funded, he says it won’t cost taxpayers anything. It’s time, he writes, to trust the vision and recognize the women who help define our surf culture.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The last patch of old Santa Cruz dirt: Pleasure Point’s female surf statue is kicking up a community dilemma
OPINION: While Pleasure Point’s female surfer statue has broad support, Nikki Hotvedt takes issue with the proposed location and a process she says has moved forward too quickly.
Posted inLatest News
Prominent surfer Kurt Van Dyke, killed in Costa Rica, remembered for ‘spiritual connection’ to the ocean
As Costa Rican and international authorities investigate the killing of prominent surfer and Santa Cruz native Kurt Van Dyke, friends and family remember his deep love for surfing and the intense connection he had with adventure and the ocean.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
Surfer statue ‘to honor the women of the water’ proposed for Pleasure Point
The Pleasure Point resident spearheading the project said the statue would connect Santa Cruz’s Eastside to the Westside, where a bronze male surfer has stood with his board for nearly 35 years. The approximately 17-foot-tall monument with a female figure wearing a wetsuit and holding a longboard is proposed for a bluff along East Cliff Drive.
Posted inLatest News
Coast Guard suspends search for missing surfers near Steamer Lane after over 10 hours
As of Saturday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for two missing surfers near Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz after they were first reported calling for help at around 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Riding high on ‘Shark Tank’ success, Santa Cruz-based Surf Skull aims to make safety fashion-forward
Head and neck injuries are one of the most common and potentially serious injuries for surfers, and yet helmet use remains relatively rare. That’s what the team behind Surf Skull hopes to change with their take on a surf helmet that pairs function with fashion.
Posted inLatest News
Surfer rescued from The Hook during rough waters Nov. 5 dies
Nathaniel J. Ramirez, a 19-year-old Morgan Hill resident rescued from dangerous conditions off Pleasure Point on Nov. 5, died two days later from injuries sustained in the incident, according to Santa Cruz County authorities. Officials say the cause of death remains under investigation.
