Welcome to the latest edition of our Life is Better When you Surf® newsletter series. We met Melody Squires on instagram (@melodysquires) and have been totally inspired by the joy that she shares through surfing.
GSI: Hi Melody, Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you live and what you get up to?
MS: Hi! I’m Melody! I was raised in the small town of Wilson, North Carolina and I now live in Wilmington, NC. I’m about 10 minutes away from a popular NC surf spot, Wrightsville Beach. I’m a women’s holistic health coach, a surf instructor and a yoga teacher. In the summers I have a surf camp for kids that brings me so much joy! I also lead teens and women’s surf, yoga and wellness retreats in NC.
Being able to bring all of my passions together in a way that allows me to fully pour into others and see their love of surfing amplify, makes my heart and soul so dang happy.
GSI: How old were you when you learnt to surf? Where was it and who taught you?
MS: I remember getting my first surfboard on my 9th birthday and anytime my family and I went on a beach vacation to Wrightsville beach or Florida, my dad or my cousin would push me into the white water.
I didn’t really get fully into surfing until I turned 21 and started living in the little NC beach town I used to take family vacations to! 21 was the age I started to heal holistically from debilitating panic attacks and surfing was a huge piece in that healing journey.
Photo supplied by Melody Squires
GSI: What is the best tip you have for anyone learning to surf?
MS: The best tip I have for anyone learning to surf is to honestly just remember that if you’re on a surfboard and you’re smiling, then you’re surfing - and that’s really all that matters.
Photo supplied by Melody Squires
GSI: Tell us about a surf session that really sticks in your mind?
MS: The surf session that still seems to be a turning point in my surfing was one at a break in Carolina Beach NC, about 30 minutes from my home break. I went with a friend and remember watching the waves before on the beach with just so much excitement but also thinking “yeah right, there’s no way I’m going out there!”
Of course I ended up in the water and just started going for it- even the biggest waves of the sets. I caught some of the biggest, longest waves I had at that point, and also got slammed SO many times. But besides that, I was able to let go of *most* of my fear. I realized that I could either sit around and not catch anything or I could totally go for it - catch a fun wave or get slammed and still come back up giggling. I still use the mindset shift that happened that session every time I surf!
Photo supplied by Melody Squires
GSI: What is your favourite surf spot?
MS: My favorite surf spot is my home break of Wrightsville beach, NC. Spring and summer are full of baby waves and bikinis and fall and winter can bring some chilly hurricane swell. One day it can be chest high and dreamy and the next day it’s completely flat- it definitely prepares you to be able to surf anywhere in any condition! The water is always beautiful and clear and I see dolphins pretty much every time I surf.
GSI: What boards are you currently riding?
MS: I’m currently riding a 9’6 modern retro that’s perfect for our small summer days and a 7’10 hand shaped custom board done by a local shaper, Jesse McCrery. I honestly fall more in love with each board every time I ride them.
Photo supplied by Melody Squires
GSI: Our company mantra is ‘Life is Better When Your Surf®” how does that statement resonate with you?
MS: Yes, my life is better when I’m surfing but also, my life is fully better because of surfing. It pulled me out of such a dark hole during my early 20s and continues to fill me with so much joy and passion.
I’m always smiling and giggling when I’m surfing and even just thinking about surfing. Being able to take the lessons I learn in the water every single session, like letting go of fear, and bring those lessons into my everyday life out of the water, has given me so much more mental strength, confidence, and freedom.
I’m forever thankful for the board my parents gifted me on my 9th birthday- I was just a little girl that wanted to be like the girls on “Blue Crush”- and because of my parents that never stopped me from dreaming, I get to call myself a surfer.
