10 girls arrived in Lombok at Xanadu Surf and Yoga super excited and ready to learn everything there was to know about longboarding from the lovely Dana Hamann. After growing up in San Diego then moving to Hawaii for her surfing, Dana end up competing on the World Longboarding Tour (WLT) in 2018. She now lives in Bali and is putting her energy into running surf retreats with women, teaching them everything she has learnt along the way.

We were all treated to some of the best waves we have ever had in our lives. Long beautiful lefts and never ending rights with the rolling green hills of Lombok as our backdrop. We were taken out on the boats each day to a different location by the local lombok surf boys, where we were taught everything from nose riding, to feeling the energy of the waves. 

We spent hours each day learning the art of lengthening our rides, cross stepping and general wave dancing. We were lucky enough to have our incredible photographer, Milly Mead, right there in the water with us to capture it all. Milly's love of creative photography and her passion for surfing is the perfect concoction for creating stunning images, and capturing the emotion and feeling behind the beauty of the surfing on offer in Lombok.  

There is something so profound about a group of women coming together over a shared passion that really made this trip what it was. By the end of the retreat we all found we had an inner strength and belief in ourselves that came from the constant support and stoke of those around us. This is the magic of the female surf community and something Sunward Bound is so proud to stand behind and be a part of. 

Words by Siena, founder of Sunward Bound

Jess wears the Jade Onepiece in Black

Dana wears the Turtleneck Crop Rashguard in Lavender (arriving October) styled with the Drifter Bottoms in Charcoal + Oak Checkers. 

All photos by Milly Mead