All photos: Sachi Cunningham @seasachi
A clean three foot wave begins to crest about twenty feet in front of me. I quickly dig my hands deep into the ocean to drag myself as close as possible to it before hugging my surfboard and rolling over as the wave crashes on top of me.
When I reemerge, I hear the familiar, sweet sound of “yews” from nearby surfers. I look up to see an individual on a long board gliding across the face of the next wave in the set, a turquoise jersey over her wetsuit. A voice over the speaker system lets out a very gay, “YAAAAAS!”
I am in the middle of my first heat at the third annual Switch: A Queer Surf Exhibition. Hosted by Queer Surf, in partnership with Surfrider San Francisco, the exhibition provided a foundation for more than 40 queer, nonbinary, and trans surfing participants to take up space in a setting that is not always inclusive of these communities.
As a lifelong Californian, I was lucky enough to grow up near some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in the world — including our iconic coastline. However, those spaces were rarely made to feel like they could hold my queerness. Surfing, in particular, always felt steeped in a masculinity that did not come naturally to me. A need to “shred” or “rip” when I just wanted to “dance” or “glide”.
And yet still, surfing was one of the first outlets where I truly felt I could express and challenge myself. A practice, in the truest sense of the word, that has demanded consistency and attention and resilience. And from that consistency and attention and resilience, a sense of embodiment, an acute awareness of the ocean's seasonal changes, and a group of people who are easy and who show up and who care about and nurture the communities in which they find themselves.
Switch felt like both a celebration and an amalgamation of all these things. Held during pride month each year, Switch is a celebration not only of queer surfing, but queer culture writ large — each year the event showcases local drag artists, DJs, designers, and surfboard shapers. Amidst ongoing political and cultural attacks on queer rights and life, this year’s Switch felt like an integral balm. A reminder that queer people have always been adept at building space for ourselves, that we have always occupied ocean spaces, and that our joy is radical and resistance.
I end the day sitting on the beach, watching over a dozen of my fellow queer surfers paddling for one huge party wave. I can’t help but think about all the queer life in the ocean, the gender-expansiveness of clownfish and nonbinary nudibranchs to name a few, and how their queerness makes them more adaptable and resilient. And if that is true for them, is it not true for us as well?
Surfrider San Francisco is a proud ally of the queer surfing community. Chapter leaders helped with day of event logistics including set up, single use plastic waste reduction, brand sponsorship & prize donations, and water safety to keep the surf zone clear and everyone safe.
The Surfrider Foundation is committed to supporting the queer and trans surfing community and helping create a more inclusive, welcoming and safe surf culture. Queer, trans and nonbinary people belong in surfing.