Creating a New Lineup: Women Chasing Waves in Puerto Rico

First Professional
Female surfer
in PUERTO RICO

How did you start surfing?

I come from a little town called Luquillo in Puerto Rico. Growing up, there were no female surfers who came before me. No one had ever seen a female surfing in the water. Surfers were all men. My two brothers surfed, my cousin surfed. My father, who loves to fish, would take me with him early in the mornings. These were the times that I felt that the ocean was calling to me. I asked to learn to surf, but my parents said, “No, it’s for men.” I was like, “I have two legs, and they have two legs, and I have a lot better balance than my brothers… so I could probably do it better than them.” The answer was still, “No, you're a girl”.

It was very confusing to grow up under that belief, and it became rooted in me. I had to beg my parents for over three years and it wasn’t until an article came out in a surfing magazine about Makaha pro surfer Rell Sun that they began to understand. It was a beautiful story. The author talked about her illness and her final days. It was an inspiring story and her grace on the cover of the magazine was beyond anything I had seen. It made an impact on me. I made a presentation and showed it to my parents. Showing them I said, “Look, this is a Queen out on the water”. My parents were like, “Oh! Okay, you can start for one summer,” and there was no turning back.

How was it being a professional surfer?

I was the first Puerto Rican to get paid to surf. The first professional surfer ever on the island. It was confusing for a while in my life. I don’t want to say that, but it's very important that I say it. So another girl could be like, ‘Oh, she did it. She got paid to surf’. Now, you don't have to ask permission to surf, but you do need to learn how to get paid to surf.

What changes have you seen in the surfing community?

It’s been about twenty-eight years, and now I see all these girls ripping with so many opportunities. The world has opened up with the internet and media coming into the island. The younger generation has more avenues to success. I see a lot of potential. The timing is perfect for them to switch their mentality to a business mindset. “How can I create my life around my passion and get paid well to do it?”

For me, when I started, I just wanted to go to South Africa. I wanted to go to Indonesia. That's what I wanted. I was gonna get there however I could make it happen. Nowadays, opportunities are so much broader with females having so many more possibilities.

What would you like to see in the future of women in the surf industry?

I would like to see more women - not just one woman - at the table where decisions are being made. I would also like to see more support behind our local girls who are competing. To see them get the help, training, and funding that they need to really push themselves further in the competitions. I want them to have the freedom to be able to just focus on their surf career. As far as talent goes, I mean, we are island girls. We're from the Caribbean. So there's salt water running in our veins.

What I’d like to see are systems in place that help these women stay focused within the two paradigms of social media and surfing competitively. They need to be focused on their goals and know how to harness social media to enhance their career, but not let it hinder their mindset.

As someone who has been in this community for a while, how does it feel to see where women's surfing in Puerto Rico is today?

Surfing for women is very interesting because now I'm learning from the younger generation. There has been a lot going on in my life these past two years. I look around now and I see a world champion, professional surfers, along with up-and-coming surfers. We just need to get together and share. I think it's like a full circle, you know? Every generation can connect and learn from each other.

Liza Caban  :  From Coast Guard to Surf Judge

How did you start and how old were you when you started surfing?

My dad taught me. I want to say I was four when I started, but he pushed me on a wave that was a little bit too crazy and I got scared so I didn’t really start until I was eleven. I competed for a really long time. Pretty much from age eleven until I was nineteen. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

What is it about surfing kept you coming back?

I like that you go out there and you don't have to think about anything. Out in the ocean, there are no problems. It’s just you, the waves and friends. I don't surf for pictures, videos, or any of that stuff. I love it. Surfing is like my psychologist.

You have younger females who look up to you. How did that all start?

Do I? I don’t know. My dad likes helping people who are learning and I like to do it with the younger girls, and boys too. I like helping them because I had a bunch of people help me when I was younger. That’s kind of how our surf culture is here, we help one another.

How did you start judging?

I stopped competing when I was nineteen because I joined the Coast Guard. I was in the Coast Guard for eight and a half years. Then I got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and I was medically retired because you can't have that in the Coast Guard. I moved back to Puerto Rico and went to a Federation competition. I told them I'd help with anything that they wanted me to help with. I thought it was gonna be a beach marshal, but they wanted me to judge.

I sat there and really liked it. I liked the math of it. It's almost like playing Sudoku. You have to see the waves, see where they fit, and then compare them. It’s a world that I didn't know about. When you're competing, you don’t think about that stuff. So it was really cool. I also couldn't be out in the sun as much and I didn't have as much energy as I used to for competing all day. So it was a good way to still be a part of the surfing culture and comps.

What do you see has changed in the surf community here since you started, specifically with females in the sport.

There are way more females today, and they take the competitive part of surging much more seriously now. It used to be only me and a couple girls out. Now, sometimes the whole peak is girls. I love that it's evolved like that.

In competitions, I see the girls are getting better faster. We have a lot of girls who do QS’s, and they are getting pretty far, like in the WSL comps. The guys aren't doing as well as the girls. More girls from Puerto Rico are getting better. But I think that also has to do with how girls are getting better globally.

What would you say to a female grom who is scared of going out surfing?

I would tell her to just have fun. I don’t think that you should be scared to go out surfing. If you are too scared to go out, then don’t go out that day. Go out when you feel more comfortable, because you will get traumatized, like me, and won’t go out for a really long time. 

Faviola Alcala

“There is a lot of losing in surfing, so be comfortable with it.”

How did you start surfing?

My brother. He started surfing because of my uncle, and then I kind of fell in love with it.

My dad used to push me into waves. I actually started standing up on a boogie board. Then I transitioned to a surfboard when I was like five, so it's been a while. I took a break when I was sixteen or seventeen. I got a little bit too frustrated, I guess. I was trying to take surfing too seriously. So I took a pause. In 2025, I had my first year doing competitions all year-round and started over again.

What do you like about competing?

I like that it is “retante” (challenging). It's individual. I only have twenty minutes, so it’s a lot of stress, but I like it. I also love that I get to travel a lot to do it. I feel like I've been to so many places and had so many experiences because of competing. I'm just super grateful. I

I guess that's what made me fall in love with it.

How was it growing up being a female in the lineup?

Hard. Even now. You're usually the only one out. Even right now, I was the only girl out there. Sometimes you have to deal with cranky old men, but I like surfing. I like being the only girl out and showing that I can surf and rip out there.

How has it changed over the years to be a female surfing here in Puerto Rico?

I feel like it's changed a lot. There is a lot more support and a lot more people want to help the girls to get better. These past two years, we've seen a bunch of really great girl competitive surfers out there. So I feel like that's helped a lot. There is also a lot more acceptance, and more acceptance from the men. They are nicer to us and they sometimes let us surf a little bit more. It is pretty hard still, but it has changed lately in a good way.

Did you have any female role models growing up from Puerto Rico?

I would say Lisa Caban. Yeah. She's the sickest person ever. And I love that she rips. I love that she's a goofy footer. She's done really well in a bunch of important contests here, like the Corona Pro. She did a bunch of finals. I feel like I always looked up to her a lot.

Where do you want your career to go now?

I just want to do well in competition and potentially make the challengers in the WSL or even the Olympics. I would love any shape or form where I can show my surfing and show the world that there's good surfers here in Puerto Rico. That would be amazing.

What would you tell the upcoming female generation? Any advice?

I would tell them to never give up and just keep chasing your dreams. There's a lot of losing in surfing. So just be comfortable with it. Once you're comfortable with losing and learn how to lose, you're going to start seeing the results. That’s when you will start seeing good results in your career. You just have to not give up, learn how to be patient with the whole process and let it happen for you.

What would you tell your family that got you into surfing?

Thank you. I mean, I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful for everything that I've accomplished and I've done because of it. I would just say thank you and give them a big hug.

Jolari Carreras

“The ocean doesn’t care about your gender.”

When did you start surfing?

I started when I was like eleven or twelve years old. My brother was starting to surf and we were going to the beach a lot. At first, I just enjoyed the beach, but then I started getting a little bored. I was like, ‘I'm gonna try’. It was just to do something. In the beginning, I didn't even like surfing too much. I was super scared, and I would just do it just to do something. But little by little, I fell in love. I love it so much now.

When did you start competing?

I started when I was thirteen or fourteen, something like that. I remember the first competition I did was Los Gallitos de Ale Moreda. It was a contest that they did in Aviones. I didn't plan to compete there. I was just going to watch my brother. When I got there, everybody was like, ‘You should compete’. And I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll try it’. I remember that I only caught one wave in the heat, but I was like, ‘OH, I LOVE THIS’. And then I wanted to compete more and more.

Growing up, how was it being a female in the lineup?

For me, I always feel that when I'm in the water, I'm the same. The ocean doesn’t care about your gender. I've been blessed with that because I know not everybody sees it like that or feels that with other people in the lineup. But for me, I think it's been good.

Do you enjoy traveling and competing?

I love it. I love traveling and surfing new places. And trying to improve myself every time.

How did you start teaching surfing?

Since the beginning, I have always liked to share everything that I’ve learned with other people. A lot of people have helped me, always giving me tips, and I love sharing those tips with others. I just love surfing and if you’re willing to try, I love sharing what I've learned.