As we round out 2025, women’s surfing in NSW has just strung together one of its most significant runs yet.
We’ve seen a Cenny Coast queen turn a dream season into a world title and major award, a club on the Northern Beaches appoint its first female president, a Bondi world champ immortalised above the banks, Byron women leading a new kind of grassroots gathering, an eight-time world champ locking in a tour comeback and a seven-time world champ recognised at the highest sporting level.
I guess this is what they call a movement.
Molly leads the new wave
An incredible new era of women’s surfing is being led by Central Coast powerhouse Molly Picklum. In September, Molly won the WSL Finals at Cloudbreak, Fiji, securing her maiden world title and becoming the 2025 Women’s World Champion.
She held the yellow leader jersey for most of the year, stacked event wins and finals, then came from behind in a best-of-three showdown against defending champ Caroline Marks to clinch the crown.
Even in the context of an international accolade, she was quick to recognise the grassroots crew:
“To come off the back of that season and the world title victory, then go straight home to North Shelly Boardriders Club on the Central Coast was amazing,” she reflected. “The warm welcome I received really made it feel real”
The season didn’t just end with that trophy however, with Molly being named Female Surfer of the Year at the 2025 Australian Surfing Awards.
For the groms watching from club tents around NSW, that’s the full circle: a surfer who came through boardriders ranks and national pathways, now world champion and Surfer of the Year, still yapping about her home club.
Bungan’s first female president: Lucy Brown
At Bungan Boardriders’ 10-year anniversary celebrations in November, the club did more than look back on a decade of good waves and comp days. It announced a history-making appointment: Bungan’s first female president, lifelong member and former club grom, Lucy Brown.
“Being a woman leading a boardriders club is really special and meaningful but also feels super natural,” said Lucy. “To me, it’s about representing the next generation of girls coming through and showing them that their ideas and energy are valuable.”
When asked what “progress” looks like at a grassroots level, she reflected on herself and her sisters being among a tiny crew of girls representing Bungan a decade ago, to now having waves of grom girls at every club round. Growing participation being the clear progression here.
Lucy made it clear that these positive movements for the women are part of a bigger club picture that champions surfing at any level from anyone.
“What I’m most proud to lead and uplift is how inclusive and supportive the whole club feels,” she said. “It’s super tight knit and everyone gets the same level of hype whether it’s the Groms, Girls, 55’s or Opens.
“Being able to help lead an environment where everyone is included is what I’m most excited for.”
Bungan’s milestone sends a clear picture statewide of what leadership can look like.
Byron’s women’s subcommittee breaks new ground
Further up the coast, Byron Bay Boardriders has quietly made history of its own, forming the first official women’s subcommittee under the RISE program.
With the support of a $1,000 grant, the subcommittee delivered its first flagship event, Lei’s Lu’au – a day built around women’s and girls’ surfing, connection and community.
A fun, two-hour surf session brought everyone together, from current competitors to surfers who hadn’t paddled out in months or years. Many left talking about rekindled joy, fresh motivation to surf again and, importantly, a stronger sense of belonging. A number of women who weren’t part of any club said they now wanted to join Byron Bay Boardriders after finding new friendships and a crew that felt like home.
Alongside the surfing, a vision and goal-setting workshop with MAPPLIFE helped the girls map out what their own paths could look like – in and beyond surfing – before an evening panel with Stephanie Gilmore, Chelsea Hedges and Leihani explored the past, present and future of women’s surfing.
It’s a template for what a women-led club space can be: practical, uplifting and future-focused.
Keen to start your own subcommittee? Now’s the time. Here’s where to go.
From Pauline Menczer’s shonky trophy to bronze bust at Bondi
On the city side of the state, South Bondi has a new landmark: a life-sized bronze statue of 1993 World Champion Pauline Menczer.
Crowdfunded by the Pauline in Bronze campaign and gifted to Waverley Council, the Cathy Weiszmann sculpture captures Pauline as a freckle-faced grom, skateboard under one arm and board under the other, overlooking the banks where she learned to surf.
It’s a long way from the “shonky trophy” and lack of prize money that came with her world title, and a powerful acknowledgement of the way she fought homophobia, sexism and unequal treatment in the sport.
At the unveiling, Pauline zoomed out to the bigger picture:
“Women’s sport’s on fire. The girls are doing air 360s when we were told women wouldn’t ever be able, and this is happening now because we encourage, support and invest in women’s sport. The possibilities are endless.”
Layne honoured, Steph coming back
Talking about accolades, seven-time world champ Layne Beachley stacked even more silverware last month, receiving the prestigious Dawn Award from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
The award recognises Layne’s immense courage, her groundbreaking impact on women’s surfing and her relentless efforts to improve the sport for future generations. On the night, she was celebrated for her resilience and her willingness to challenge the status quo, using every phase of her career – from world titles to foundation work – to leave the sport in a better place. With Dawn Fraser herself present at the ceremony, it was a deeply personal and proud moment.
At the same time, eight-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore has officially accepted a season-long wildcard to return to the World Surf League Championship Tour in 2026, two years after stepping away from full-time competition. Her comeback sets up an exciting clash between one of surfing’s most stylish veterans and a field stacked with new-era talent – many of whom grew up idolising her.
Our eyes are peeled for some fireworks next year.
From club rounds to world titles
Put all of this together and the pattern is hard to miss. From local fun surfs and vision-board workshops to statues, awards nights and world titles, women’s surfing in NSW is making moves. And, it doesn’t end there.
In the Juniors:
- Milla Brown – Bungan local – has been taking the world by storm in the jersey and in freesurfs, taking home a Silver medal for the Irukandji’s in the U18s at the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Titles
- Werri’s Lucy Darragh copped Bronze at the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Titles in the U16s alongside taking top honours at this year’s State Titles
- Avoca’s Talia Tebb swept the floor in the U16 Girls at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles
- The Grainger sisters from Bungan – Mila and Chloe – have been held it down with a double win at the State Titles
In the Masters:
- Ulladulla’s Keira Buckpitt, North Narra’s Ellen Northy, and North Steyne’s Belinda Koorey and Susan Levett took out top honours at Aussies
On the log:
- Manly Mal Club’s Tully White finished 8th in the world on the 2025 WSL Longboard Tour
- Emma Perrier of Evan’s Head Mal Club and Louise Tiernan of Byron Bay Malibu club made waves at the National Titles
In the SUP world:
- Rebecca Dunning dominated the Aussie Titles with wins in 40-50yrs Women’s Surf, Open Women’s surf, 40-50yrs Technical and 40-50yrs Distance
In the Para space:
- Sam Bloom (PS-Prone 1 Women), Sarah Gibson (PS-VI2 Women) and Victoria Pendergast (PS-Kneel Women) brought the blue to their Aussie Titles charge in Byron
- Emma Dieters, founder of Northern Beaches Para Surfer Boardriders and Co-Captain of the Irukandjis para team, brought home the Bronze in Women’s Kneel at the 2025 ISA World Para Surfing Championships
We could keep writing, but you’d be reading for quite some time. As Pauline said, women’s sport’s on fire – and with clubs, communities and champions all pulling in the same direction, the possibilities really are endless.
Start a women’s boardriders club here and keep this momentum going.