- Ruby
Meet Ruby, Owner and Founder of The Surf Box - The Visual Story Tale
Ok, so this is a little awkward. Essentially I am writing an article on myself - weird, but considering I have been running this site for a few years now and have never really publicly said hi, I decided I probably should. So hey!
I'm Ruby. I made The Surf Box in 2016 with the goal of... well…at first I didn’t really know what the heck I was up too.
Overtime, with a little growth here and there, I narrowed down what The Surf Box was all about - what I wanted this little baby to grow into.
For me The Surf Box is about a few things…
Connecting with other likeminded water Women, from all over the world.
Passing on some knowledge that I have collected over the years of my surfing journey.
Joining both of those above points to create an accessible, free platform that pulls us together as Ladies of the ocean to surf better, create a community, and have more fun in the water.
Fast forward a couple of years and I can proudly say that vision is being fulfilled.
My Story
I grew up in central Auckland, New Zealand. For all my international followers, central Auckland is NOT a surf spot. It's an urban city, with the closest beach being a 45 minute drive away.
I decided, somehow, for some reason, that I wanted to get into surfing when I was 14. I used all my persuasive bargaining skills that my 14 year old self could muster to convince my parents to take me to the beach at every possible opportunity. Luckily after my obsession was clearly here to stay, they were supportive, and took me surfing on the regular.
I'm not really sure where my sudden obsession with surfing came from, but that's what it was - an obsession. I was determined to learn the sport, and although I had the odd lesson here and there, it was a grind doing it alone as a kid. I think this is part of the reason I setup The Surf Box. I would have had a much better time through the steep learning phase if I had more girl mates to join me. Either way, I am happy I stuck with it.
A few years later I got my licence and was barely seen again. I chased waves all over the country as much as I possibly could, even skipping class on the odd occasion (sorry mum.)
After finishing school I moved to my favourite spot in NZ - Raglan. I still live here to this day with my partner and dog and am confident it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
I studied two degrees in this time - a human performance degree and a secondary school teaching degree, and after completing these I worked as a relief teacher for a year or two to save money to go travelling to find more waves. I knew pretty quickly that staying and working as a teacher was not going to work well with me (I do however admire teachers hugely, its an incredibly difficult job.)
Over my time studying I worked part time as a surf instructor both privately and for groups. I used all of my money saved from this to travel - although I was a poor student I somehow managed to make it work. Just...
After saving up some cash working as a relief teacher, I set off to Nicaragua where I spent a few seasons working for the awesome Womens company Surf With Amigas. Here I coached Women from all over the world to improve their surfing through in the water support and video coaching analysis. After my time there I carried on to fulfil my own personal pursuit of chasing waves through out Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador.
Life in Central America wasn't all smooth sailing however. I got horrendously sick for quite some period of time. This forced me to have to halt my working for Surf With Amigas which I was very disappointed about, and put some strain on the trip. It is very difficult to be in a third world country when you are feeling vulnerable, and the things that you need are difficult to access. However, I continued on, but didn't properly heal until I returned to NZ.
When I finished my travels I returned back to Raglan to make more content for The Surf Box, and plant some roots in the town I call home. The older I grow, the more I have decided that what makes me feel good is not JUST travelling the world on the next adventure, but also helping people. Sometimes travelling around on your own pursuit can get a little empty, and after a few years of this I decided to focus a little more on how I can help people to have the most fun possible in the water, just as I had for all those years.
Now, in 2018, I am focussing on providing as much free content as possible to help Ladies from all over the world develop their skills in the ocean. Surfing is, and always should be fun above anything else, but it does give us a lot of satisfaction when we see ourselves improving, and overcoming challenges we once thought were impossible.
I have moved to a place with The Surf Box where I am considering blending my love for travel, and coaching and helping others into one exciting project! The idea to run an All Womens Surf Coaching Retreat in Indonesia is still very much one in the making, but if you would like to find out more you can do so here.
So there is my story, and this is why I do what I do. I hope you enjoy this content as much as I enjoy making it. Feedback and suggestions are always appreciated, and your engagement with the content helps to guide me to continue to fulfil this vision for us as Women.
Thank you for reading my story, I hope to see you in the water one day!
Much love,
Ruby
