“When I am surfing, my problems disappear” ​

- Unstressed senior & lifeguard

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​“This was my best day, EVER”

- Unstressed surfer

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Unstressed Surf School (Unstressed) was started in 2010 by Chintsa locals wanting to share the stoke.With surfing at the core, Unstressed is able to motivate and drive a range of exciting, action based experiences nurturing soft skills around respect, team work and perseverance as well as hard skills such as lifeguarding, swim instructing and working with fiberglass. Several of the surfers have surfed in local competitions and more than 40 local children - not part of Unstressed - have participated in “Swim to Thrive” with coaching support provided by senior Unstressed surfers.

 

Unstressed is a diverse tribe with members ranging from those in the foamies just learning to surf, to seniors pursuing water and ocean-based careers or just hanging out on the backline with other surfers.Unstressed is voluntarily run by a lead crew of locals with supporters spread throughout the world. With 31 surfers on the register, of which more than 50% are girls, surfing is providing one more way to promote self-belief while shattering stereotypes and bridging divides.Many members have found identity here and see Unstressed as their home.

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Going forward, a path for the professional as well as personal development of the Unstressed surfers is being forged.To date, three seniors have qualified as lifeguards, one of whom is busy completing their swim instructor qualification. All have, and are, working in these respective professions. Six Unstressed surfers are equipped with the skills to fix their own surfboards and have the po tential to take it further. All of these seniors are male and we are looking forward to supporting this change as our female surfers move from the foamies to backline and beyond.

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“I have learnt that I am not a giver-upper, that I am a strong person… We need people like us in Chintsa, we don’t want to rely on other people from far away to be lifeguards, we have people here that can be lifeguards”

 

– Unstressed senior & lifeguard

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Another change that is already occurring is the uptake of Unstressed responsibilities by the senior surfers.We believe that in years to come, the Unstressed lead crew will be made up of senior Unstressed surfers continuing to spread the value and joy of blue water opportunities. 

 

Since the beginning, Unstressed has surfed on the support of individuals for wetsuits, boards, leashes, fins, wax, food and a whole lot of heart and dedication from Unstressed volunteers.Special thanks for support to date includes Jennifer & Linda Gibbs (US), Richard & Leah Bullock (Aus), Charlotte Whitehead (UK), Mikee Ford (UK) and Ash Brookes (All over).More recently we have also received support by Chaba Wind Power with a strong focus on professional and personal development while making sure our surfers can also swim!