Between winters spent on Oahu and a summer full of women’s surf retreats, we caught up with Leah to talk about the projects that are fueling her passions and the performance details on her new signature suits.
When I was 23, my mom began giving me some advice for my surfing that at the time, I was not quite ready to hear. “You don’t have to be a competition surfer to keep surfing.” At that point, I thought this meant I had to give up on my surfing dream. I was not quite sure what the details of this dream exactly were, but I knew I didn’t want to let surfing fade from the centerpiece of my life.
As I continued to compete and chase titles, I started reading various books in the realm of spirituality.
The idea of non-judgment and non-comparison struck my heartstrings. I remember reading these pages and feeling this wave of release, as I no longer wanted to hold myself to a competitive standard of trying to be the best, based on someone else’s judgment. Moreover, the idea of trying to be better than anyone else lost its flare for me.
Soon, I began riding all sorts of alternative surf crafts, in ways that might not achieve high scores for judges, but in a way that my heart wanted to, truly discovering how my body wanted to naturally move on the water.
My favorite aspect of competition surfing has always been the community it connected me with. Some of my best friends in life came from competing in contests together, yet those friendships have blossomed as the entire water and nature-lifestyle continues to penetrate our lives.
Shifting from competition to community, friendships through surfing have become the most important element of the influence surfing has in my life. However we arrive at these friendships uniting our growing community, we cherish these connections, as they are the zest and salt of life.
I’ve always dreamed of collaborating with a company to create the products I depend on. That dream has come true, fuller than I could have ever imaged.
When asked to design my first signature Seea suit, excitement filled me, and Amanda (Seea founder and designer) brought to life my wishes.
As athletes, our attire affects the way we perform. After decades of constantly adjusting my bikinis, shivering in the lineup, and slathering sunblock from head to toe, there were a few key elements I knew I needed in my ideal surf suit, so much so that we created two different suits!
These features include:
Core warmth. I tend to get cold, no matter how warm the water is. If there is a trickle of wind, I get the shivers! If our kidneys get cold, chances are our whole body will be cold, so the surf suits are designed with 2mm neoprene around the whole chest area.
Supreme Comfort. To maximize the comfortability of the suit, we use C-skin material (mix between Lycra and neoprene) on the bottom portion of the suits. This fabric is soft and also forms well to the body, preventing the need to constantly adjust the suit.
Maneuverability. The long arms are made from Seea’s high-quality Lycra intended for paddling ease. We designed the cut under the arms to prevent from any friction or rashing.
Sun protection. I believe the best form of sunscreen is clothing coverage. Safe sunscreens are expensive and all others are dangerous for our skin and the oceans, so the less sunscreen we have to wear the better! We designed the Leah bodysuit as a full-coverage suit intended for sunny days and long sessions.
Form and Fashion. The zip front and neck cut are designed to give support for the bust, with a relaxing, loose fit around the neck, that still prevents lots of water from flushing into the suit.
3 in 1. These suits feature three different materials, Lycra, neoprene, and C-skin, each placed to serve their maximum purpose.
The Leah bodysuit is my favorite suit I have ever worn, namely because its effective warmth, trustworthy sun protection, and when worn out in the surf or on the river, the suit never needs to be re-adjusted, allowing me to fully focus on my activities.
As a woman with fair skin, covering my body is essential for me to live my life with the sea. The bodysuit not only saves me a ton of sunscreen, it also allows me to never have to adjust my attire while I am playing in the sea. The bodysuit is the most comfortable surf outfit I’ve ever worn!
The Leah surf suit is ideal for warm climates like Hawaii, where there is always a bit of a wind chill. I love this suit for surfing in powerful waves because I never have to worry about it getting out of place, allowing me to fully focus on my dance with the waves.
In 2016, four of my dearest sea sisters and I started the Changing Tides Foundation (CTF). Our mission is to empower travelers to give back along their journeys, while increasing action towards lessening our environmental footprint.
Our model is based on collaboration with local communities, existing organizations, and stoked travelers. We believe, “together we are better.” Only together are we going to solve the grave challenges our world faces, environmentally and socially.
CTF recently launched a campaign called the Plastic Swear Jar Challenge, which aimed to bring awareness to how much we all use single-use plastics and encourage conscious awareness to avoid them. By keeping track of each single-use plastic we use by putting $1 in a jar for every piece used, we create consequence for what we previously never paid attention to. The earth is paying a big price due to humanity’s unconscious use of plastics—this challenge gives us a glimpse into just how detrimental the plastic is to our world. I strongly suggest watching the documentary “A Plastic Ocean,” which solidifies concern about the world’s abuse of plastic.
I challenge you to take the one-week Plastic Swear Jar Challenge—avoid single-use plastics as much as you can, and witness how much plastic you still end up using at the end of the week. It’s astonishing and a great reminder that we individually have to change our ways and make daily decisions on our plastic consumption.
The first step to create change is establishing awareness. This challenge aims to create just that.
CTF teamed up with Give and Surf to create the first female focused program ever in Bocas, the Women’s Outreach Mentorship Program (WOMP) based in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. WOMPBOCAS is CTF’s latest flagship program.
Give and Surf is a local NGO in Bocas which provides educational programs to indigenous communities throughout the Bocas province, as well as surf programs to enable local kids with water skills and access to the many waves of their homeland.
A head volunteer from Give and Surf designed a 10-week course and gathered any teenage girls in the small town of Basti who wanted to participate. Our CTF team joined the group of seven girls on the third week of their program. We brought them five stand-up paddleboards and a ton of gear including reef-safe sunscreen, masks and snorkels, shoes, water proof bags, and beautiful Seea suits!
In the small town of Basti, there are huge gender disparities. Girls rarely finish high school, as they are often pregnant by 12-years-old and expected to stay home to clean house and raise the families. Left with few options, WOMP empowers the young girls to consider and strive for a life beyond teenage motherhood.
Though many of the teenage girls on the island are friends or related, trust and inspiration to dream amongst them has ceased to exist. Our goal was to exemplify sisterhood to them and help create a bond between them through a common love and interest in the ocean. Though these young women have grown up right by the sea, it wasn’t until we executed this program did they discover their interest in ocean sports and the joy the water can bring to their lives.
In the week that our CTF team was with the group of girls, we witnessed their sisterhood form, their discovery of the ocean penetrate their lives, and their desire to dream of a life beyond teenage pregnancy form.
Our goal is to continue funding this program so that more girls will participate and opportunities for these young women will continue to empower their lives. The ocean does wonders!
Though I am not a mother yet, my mothering instincts are very much alive in me: nurturing, protective, supportive.
Growing up, I always drew inspiration from female role models who exemplify the high moral standards I strive to live by. Seeking a spiritual foundation, showing respect, appreciation and humility have always been most important to me.
Being a girl or young woman in today’s world is recognizably scary, as our society has developed a norm of materialistic standards, self-judgment, and demoralizing values. Everywhere we look, we see images of women revealing their bodies, with focus on outer beauty before inner beauty, giving young women a sense of dissatisfaction with their bodies or their lives.
I am grateful beyond words that Seea exists, mainly for their respect of the feminine and commitment to creating a space for women’s surf culture to have self-respect. I strive to be an example for the growing generations to love and respect themselves, to see their innate inner beauty, to love our earth and want to protect it, to believe in their dreams, to see surfing as medicine, to appreciate education, to strive to be their best self, and to connect with and work together with their community.
We are all well aware now of the severe danger our earth’s environment is in. I’ve always recognized surfing as a platform to speak up for our earth, to spark environmental awareness, and to create passion in all areas of life. It is my life’s purpose, and I am honored to have Seea as a vessel to share this with the world.
With each passing day, the fire inside me to help our planet and its entire species grows and grows. I know I was a water baby, put on the planet to be of service, utilizing my relationship with the ocean.
I am a storyteller at heart and a media maker by trade. I’ve been writing and developing a film for a few years that I feel I am just maturing enough to start making.
I dream of making women’s surfing films that expand the consciousness and passion of their viewers. Women’s surfing at its core is the feminine dancing with breathing nature; I cannot think of anything more spiritual or beautiful on our planet.
As we continue growing with the Changing Tides Foundation, I foresee a huge web of water people connecting across our planet. Surfers have to be leaders in our environmental revolution, for our connection with and dependency on nature are tremendous.
I continue to push my creativity in surfing to fulfill my dreams of self-growth and progression, but also to further give reason for people around the world to be interested in the messages I am here to relay.
Empower actions with respect for all: ourselves, each other, and most importantly, our amazing planet.
Thank you Leah for being an inspiration to us all!
MORE SEEABABE STORIES
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Leah Dawson wears the Carmel Neoprene One-Piece in LUNAR. Photo by Mauro Ladu |
Leah Dawson wears the Riviera One-Piece in Panama in LUNAR. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Leah Dawson wears the Solanas Surf Suit in Paradiso in LUNAR. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Leah Dawson wears the Solanas Surf Suit in Paradiso in LUNAR. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Leah Dawson wears the Solanas Surf Suit in Paradiso in LUNAR. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Leah Dawson wears the Solanas Surf Suit in Paradiso in LUNAR. Photo by Onde Nostre. |
Leah Dawson in LUNAR. Photo by Onde Nostre. |
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Leah Dawson shapes a surfboard in Lunar. Photo by Onde Nostre.. |
Leah Dawson with her second hand-shaped board in LUNAR. Photo by Onde Nostre. |
Onde Nostre in collaboration with Seea present Lunar, a film featuring Leah Dawson in Fuerteventura. In this strange and beautiful treeless landscape of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, Leah Dawson's creative spirit has space to expand freely as she creates music, hand shapes her second board and dances on water with power and grace.
Grounded by earth and charged with energy by water, Leah Dawson is a solar creature influenced by the moon’s gravitational pull, like the sea.
A BLOCK10 PRODUCTION
STARRING | LEAH DAWSON
DIRECTED | LUCA MERLI
FILMED | GIOVANNI BARBERIS, LUCA MERLI
ADDITIONAL CAMERA | ENRICO GORREA, MAURO LADU
EDITED | GIOVANNI BARBERIS
STYLING | ELISABETTA DAL BELLO
MUSIC | LEAH DAWSON
SOUND MIX | DIEGO DE SIRIANNA
THANKS TO JULIEN SICRE AT JOYAS SURFBOARDS, CASA MACCARONI AND FLOATER PRODUCTION
Lunar by Onde Nostre Teaser from funtemplates on Vimeo.Leah Dawson in Lunar. Photo by Block10 productions. |
Leah Dawson body surfing in Lunar. Photo by Block10 productions. |
Leah Dawson in the shaping bay. Photo by Block10 productions. |
Leah Dawson in Lunar. Photo by Block10 Productions. |
Ashley Johnson wears the Tabatinga Top and Calafia Leggings. Leah Dawson wears the Zuma Surf Suit. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
One VW van, four friends, a quiver of long and short boards, and 400 plus miles traveled from Malibu to San Francisco. What happened in between on those open road stretches in Big Sur and Santa Cruz? The waves guided Leah Dawson and Ashley Johnson's PCH journey of when to stay longer, detour or move on.
We asked Ashley to share her favorite moments of the trip, and her advice for a fun-filled surf getaway from SoCal to NorCal waves and temperatures.
Leah at Malibu, wearing the Nazare bodysuit. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Rules of the Road Trip:
It's all about the surf.
You can make a plan, but its always going to change based on where the waves are the best. Let the swell be your guide. “Although we did hit up each spot we planned to, the amount of time in each area definitely changed based upon surf and also holiday weekends! We pretty much got super lucky in most areas we scored surf every place!” Ashley says.
Dress in layers — swimsuits and clothing.
Malibu was warm enough to surf in swimsuits, but by the time they hit Big Sur, and parts of Santa Cruz, neoprene is a must. Same goes for clothes on land. For SoCal sunny days, Ashley packed lots of Seea swimsuits, good sunscreen, wide brim hat and sunglasses for sun protection. For chillier Northern coast camping, she wore a good wetsuit the cold surf, warm layers such as a Patagonia down jacket and beanie for cold nights and mornings.
Keep your van tidy.
Ashley says they started each sunrise getting their gear in check to be ready for whatever the day holds. “Most important is utilizing the space the best and organize all gear stuff everyday! Things get messy and tight, so it’s best to start each day packing all your gear up organized daily before you start the next destination. That way you get the most room and comfort along the long drives,” Ashley says.
Make sure you have a place for your wet stuff, and to dry it between sessions.
“When on a surf trip, bring a bucket of some sort to put your wet gear in. And also be sure to dry out at the end of each day! Super key so other things don’t get wet."
Ashley wears the Tres Palmas Top and Capitola Bottoms at Malibu. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Leah wears the Nazare bodysuit and Montara Rashguard at Malibu. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Ashley wears the Tres Palmas Top and the Capitola bottoms at Malibu. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Don't forget to dry your Seea suits at the end of the day! Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Campsite for the night. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
The memories outside your van — the glassy waves, the pink sunsets, the hiking views —probably stick in your memory the most after a road trip. But don’t forget that time spent actually driving. On Ashley’s snack food list: Stumptown coffee and French press, sesame seed almonds, trail mix, avocado, and bread.
Tell everyone load up playlists before you go. “Good playlist and gear for good jams! Any road trip you need the jams for good vibes — it’s a must! One of my fav parts of trip jamming to Bob Marley while Leah and I sang the tunes through weaving through Big Sur – Epic!”
Looking for waves. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Ashley wears the Tabatinga bikini. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Ashley wears the Tabatinga Bikini. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Leah wears the Zuma Surf Suit. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Leah wears the Zuma Surf Suit. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Ashley wears the Tabatinga Top and and Calafia Leggings. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Detours are all part of the fun.
There were no waves in the central coast stretch, so instead, the crew met up with a friend Preston, who took them to a cliff jump at Avila Beach. “Super fun detour from plan, but it was a HUGE jump. Biggest one I ever did. We had to swim around the cove to get there too! Climb up the rocks to get up to the cave and cliff. It was definitely super sketchy to get to the top with crumbly clay and not much foliage to grab onto. Once we got to the top, literally the only way to get down was to jump! It was about 35-40 foot jump. One of the highlights of the trip honestly, it was awesome!” Ashley exclaims.
Beware of Holiday weekends.
Sometimes it’s unavoidable. The crew ended up scoring amongst the thick crowds, but its not the most comfortable situation to be sitting board to board out there and paddle battling for each wave.
You thought Hawaii was crowded? Ashley, a Kauai local, hadn't seen anything like a California swell day. “We surfed Pleasure Point. It was a bit of a culture shock for me. It was a holiday weekend, so everyone was out. SO much water and so many waves, and so many people. Everywhere. I couldn’t believe how many surfers there were. But somehow we all scored a lot of waves. Super fun!”
Anytime you’re outside surrounded by nature can only be a good thing.
Ashley knows her trip was really lucky for swell. When the waves don’t deliver, you’ll still have unreal cliff views and chances of a pretty light show every night to look back on. “One of the best sunsets is where we stopped off the side of the road after being on a look out. The sun just bright pink, our VW van silhouette and fins just glowing in the night.”
Before the cliff jump. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Cliff jump! Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Relaxing on the road. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Snack break. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Spot check in Big Sur. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
The best sunsets. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Over the bridge. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Leah paddles out in a Kassia Surf wetsuit. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Leah in the pocket. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Skating through Santa Cruz. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Happy sunset. Photo by Bryce Johnson. |
Leah Dawson travels to a treeless desert like the moon that's also a magnet for creative surfers: Casa Maccaroni in Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands.
]]>Leah Dawson deep in the barrel in Fuerteventura. Photo by Enrico Gorrea. |
Leah Dawson drives through the desert of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Skating on the open road in Fuerteventura. |
Leah Dawson plays guitar at Casa Maccaroni in Fuerteventura. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Hammocks for relaxing at Casa Maccaroni. |
Blue waters against the arid landscape of Fuerteventura. |
Leah Dawson getting ready to paddle in. |
Around the Casa Maccaroni Surf Lodge. |
Filming with Leah Dawson on the skate ramp at Casa Maccaroni Surf Lodge. |
Artistic touches inside the rooms at Casa Maccaroni. |
Inside one of the rooms at Casa Maccaroni. |
Leah Dawson finds a fun wave in Fuerteventura, wearing the Riviera in Panama. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Filming in Fuerteventura during the sunset. Leah Dawson wears the Riviera in Panama. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
On the skate ramp in the backyard of Casa Maccaroni. |
Farm to table version of surfing: shaping your board and then surfing it. Leah Dawson shapes her second board at the Joyas Surfboards workroom. Photo by Mauro Ladu. |
Leah Dawson shaping at Joyas Surfboards. Photo by Enrico Gorrea. |
From her extended vacation on the surfer's paradise, Leah Dawson shares her play by play of the Deus 9ft and single festival.
]]>From left, Karina Rozunko, Kassia Meador, Leah Dawson at the Deus Bali event. Photo by @mirza_n_s |
Lola Mignot drops in, with Leah Dawson on the inside. Photo by Annie B at Surfing Tribe, Seea's first dealer in New Zealand! |
Karina Rozunko in Bali. Photo by @mirza_n_s |
Lola Mignot wearing the Tofino in Geo Gold. Photo by @mirza_n_s. |
Leah Dawson wearing the Zuma in Black Stripe, with her first self-shaped board. Photo by @Hatsumisurf. |
Leah Dawson riding "Smoothie" in Bali, her first self-shaped board. Photo by @mirza_n_s. |
"Intimasea" is a short film that celebrates the beauty and grace of women's longboard surfing, and dreamy high of playing in the waves with your friends.
]]>Made in collaboration with Australian filmmaker Nathan Oldfield, "Intimasea" is a short film that celebrates the beauty and grace of women's longboard surfing, and dreamy high of playing in the waves with your friends.
Featuring Seeababe ambassadors: Leah Dawson, Lola Mignot, Hallie Rohr, Karina Rozunko, Mele Saili and Makala Smith wearing the Seea 2015 collection, and filmed in Australia.
“Unfortunately, when I was a grom, there weren’t many girls and women in the water. I went through high school knowing only one girl who surfed with us,” said Nathan Oldfield in The Inertia. “Back then, lineups tended to be very macho affairs — very competitive, crowded with full-on sword fights. Nowadays, the tables have completely turned, especially where I live. I for one am completely stoked to share waves with lady sliders. They bring a unique and beautiful and gentler energy to surfing culture; it is a privilege and a pleasure and, above all, an inspiration to share time in the ocean with sea sisters.”
Shop the looks seen in "Intimasea" HERE!
]]>"Less is more" in the Australian outback. Seeababe Leah Dawson surfs her face off and shares the lessons she learned during her recent trip to Oz.
]]>Leah Dawson ducks into the green room in Australia wearing the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe. Photo by Nathan Oldfield. |
Leah Dawson holds the board that was surfed in Morning of the Earth. Photo via @leahloves |
Leah Dawson heads into the ocean, wearing the Seea Zuma in Black Stripe. Photo by Chrystal Fitzgerald. |
Leah Dawson in the Zuma in Black Stripe. Photo by Shelly Dark. |
Leah Dawson in trim. Photo by Albert Falzon. |
Mele Saili in Australia. Photo by Nathan Oldfield. |
Mele Saili wears the Swami's in Blue Fossil. Photo by Nathan Oldfield. |
Makala Smith, standing confidently, wearing the San-O in Coral under a shirt. Photo by Nathan Oldfield. |
Leah Dawson wears the Swami's in Tiles. Photo by Nathan Oldfield. |
Pure style. Leah Dawson wears the Gaviotas. Photo by Doug Falter. |
Leah Dawson on her single fin. Photo by Doug Falter. |
Leah Dawson's stoked face. Photo by Doug Falter. |
No big deal, just getting barreled. Leah Dawson in Hawaii. photo by Doug Falter. |
Leah Dawson in gratitude and happiness. Photo by Doug Falter. |
Leah Dawson in the flow. Photo by Doug Falter. |
Leah Dawson wears the Seea Zuma in Hawaii. Photo by Doug Falster. |