The comfort in belonging through our waterways

by Yvette Curtis


Hi, Iā€™m Yvette, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Manager for Surfers Against Sewage and the founder of surf club, Wave Wahines (Hawaiian for woman). A surf club for women and girls, we have worked with various other marginalised communities including, displaced communities, women in refuge and trans and non-binary youth among others.


I was excited to learn we were working with Lucy & Yak as I have always followed their brand and how they have worked so tirelessly to ensure inclusion, representation and fun are at their heart. This is something I feel really aligns with myself in person, but also the nature of surfing and the world that surrounds advocacy, activism and conservation of our Ocean and other bodies of water. We all rely on water to survive, and we rely on a connection to water to help us thrive. Yet so many of us donā€™t feel that water, be it for pleasure and relaxation or for protection and conservation, is a space that is welcoming to us or where we belong. Belonging matters. We all want to feel a sense of belonging, and how we find that can differ based on your background, your lived experience, where you live and the many intersecting characteristics that make up your identity. My identity is one of mixed heritage with Britain, Mauritius and Bangladesh; a mother of 3; a cis woman. Those identities are all part of me, and I am proud of them all but sometimes, they make me nervous in some settings and at peace and relaxed in others.


I was brought up as a child to parents who worked with adults with multiple additional needs and recall spending many hours drawing with a man living with Down Syndrome, who was deaf and a wheelchair user. He loved to colour in, and so did I, so we spent hours and hours with a pack of pens and a million colouring books! I remember those experiences so fondly and having grown up with one white parent and one dark skinned parent when there were no other families like ours, I knew what being different was like and how it felt, but I had also learned how we all have a quality that deserves to be seen and represented. We are all enough, we just need to be recognised and represented.


Thatā€™s where my life has taken me, to look at the spaces like the ocean, the water, how we care for it and how we engage with it and; as someone who had not previously seen myself in those spaces, to support my eldest child into surfing in a way that was comfortable for them, I created a club and a space for others who may feel the same. That led me to realising similar barriers existed when it came to conservation and advocating for the ocean and water. I knew I needed to do more, and I knew I had the knowledge and passion to be more.


Inclusion and belonging mean so much to me. Finding a connection can often be that key and we are all linked to water, so regardless of whether you are turning your tap on at home, dancing in the rain or paddling into a wave; that same water will be soon, or has been already, lapping the shores of a coastline, rambling along a river or being pulled from a well. Itā€™s all the same water and it connects me to you and us to the world. Letā€™s protect it together.


Inclusive Ocean Spaces/Clubs/Communities


Currently within Surfers Against Sewage, we have been focusing on how we ensure Equity, diversity and Inclusion are embedded within all of our internal and external tributaries. We donā€™t view it as an ā€˜add onā€™ so building the culture from within has been and will continue to be a journey we all take together alongside our growing audience. 


A key part of this is collaboration, so if you are looking to engage, support or collaborate with organisations, please have a look at this list of groups as a potential starting point.



I would strongly recommend heading to All The Elements for a really comprehensive list of diverse communities in outdoor spaces (including oceans). I would also recommend heading to the We Are Ocean  community page for accessible discussions around ocean literacy.