Linda Sharp: Breaking Barriers as the First Female Surfer Amongst Men

In 1967, Linda Sharp became the first and only woman to surf year-round in Wales. Starting at the age of 15 in Aberavon, she competed for over 20 years and achieved numerous titles in Europe, Britain, and Wales. In the beginning, Linda did not have a wetsuit and instead wore a rugby shirt, cut-off jeans, plimsolls, and rubber gloves. Due to the lack of female competitors, Linda often surfed against men in competitions and won the women's Welsh championship by default. Linda's surfing journey began when she borrowed a board from one of her lifeguard colleagues. After catching her first wave and standing up, she immediately fell in love with the sport. Determined to have her own board, she sold her bike to pay for it. Despite its size, she carried the board on her head during the half-hour walk to the beach until her dad built wheels for it. Linda surfed without a wetsuit until Christmas 1968 when she acquired a scuba diving wetsuit with a distinctive "beaver tail" flap. However, these wetsuits were not like the ones available today, and their design often led to embarrassing incidents. Not only did surfers have to face cold water, but they also dealt with polluted seas filled with raw sewage and industrial waste. Linda's home beach, located at the mouth of several rivers, had particularly high pollution levels. Despite the health risks, Linda never suffered anything more severe than a sore throat, while some male surfers fell ill to flesh-eating diseases due to open wounds. During the British Masters surfing competition held at Aberavon in the 1980s, many competitors became seriously ill. Although Linda faced challenges such as pollution and cold water, she didn't compete against other surfers until 1975. By chance, she happened to be home during the Welsh nationals held at her beach that summer. She insisted on entering the competition against male surfers and made it to the semifinals. However, since they were selecting the European team, they disqualified her. Despite this, Linda's participation kickstarted her surfing career, and she went on to win numerous Welsh, British, and European titles. While Linda would have loved more female competitors, she often competed against men since most women weren't interested in surfing at the time. This lack of female competitors also meant there were no wetsuits designed for women until the 1980s. When Linda won her first European title, she was invited to the Women's International Surfing Association (WISA) championship in Malibu, California. Despite feeling overwhelmed by the competition, she enjoyed the camaraderie with other female surfers. Unfortunately, Linda couldn't afford to continue participating internationally. Linda continued teaching physical education and surfing until 1996 when she had her daughter and moved to Porthcawl with her husband to run a surf shop. However, her arthritis and hip replacements prevent her from returning to the sport. Nonetheless, Linda's surfing experiences have undoubtedly provided her with incredible memories and experiences.