SURFING MOM HANGS 10 IN UNIQUE SHOP : FEMALE WAVE RIDERS DISCOVER CAMARADERIE, MERCHANDISE.

Byline: Dana Calvo Associated Press 

Wave-catchers along Southern California's coastline are learning to share the ocean with a rare species: the female surfer.

It all started when a 36-year-old surfing mom opened the country's first surf shop for women, Water Girl. Shop owner Ilona Wood-Rerucha immediately attracted a loyal clientele, prompting her to found her own surf school and surf team.

``When I used to go shopping, I'd find a just a little section for girls who surfed,'' said Belen Kimbell, 18, who works at Water Girl, teaches at the Surf Diva School and is a charter member of the Water Girl Club.

``Half the girls who wore surf clothes didn't even surf,'' she said. ``Ilona brought in a lot of pure clothing that wasn't just a trend.''

At the school's first meeting, Kimbell was ecstatic to discover dozens of women seeking out a sorority of surfers.

``I couldn't sit in my seat because I was so stoked to meet so many girls who surfed!'' Kimbell said. ``I don't get along with very many girls because they're too prissy. They're scared to live life on the edge. They're scared to get hurt or break a fingernail.''

Wood-Rerucha, a former biologist, says surfing is a perfect sport because it blends athletics with appreciation of the environment. Although women have always ridden waves, Wood-Rerucha estimates they comprise only about 4 percent of all surfers.

Designers still don't have the hang of putting together wet suits appropriate for the female consumer.

``They assumed the women would just dabble in the sport, but they do the sport,'' the black-haired, sinewy Wood-Rerucha said.

Designers have started asking her to critique their wet suits.

``I tell them they forget to compensate. If a woman surfs, she has broader shoulders. Instead, they always give it a model, classic look. You can't paddle in it, but it fits everywhere else,'' she said, rolling her eyes in disgust.

Along the walls of her colorful store about 25 miles north of San Diego, Wood-Rerucha displays floral-pattern surfboards, GoreTex miniskirts and women's board shorts.

She sells sunglasses, shoes and surfing jewelry, such as wooden surfboard earrings and silver necklace pendants with a woman paddling out to sea.

Word of her 6-month-old business has spread around the world, and Water Girl handles orders all day, although the store has yet to publish its first catalog.

The Surf Diva School meets every weekend on the beaches of San Diego County. Kimbell says it allows the 30 or so students to learn far from the intimidating ``boys only'' beaches.

``Women have a tendency to learn easier from other women,'' she said. ``They don't have the stress of a man shouting, `Just do it!' and 10 minutes later he's paddling out for his second wave.''

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Photo

Photo: Ilona Wood-Rerucha does a booming business at her shop near San Diego for female surfers.

Associated Press