The magic of finding the right surf buddy with Tina

👋 Hey! I’m Tina. This is my conversation with Zuz about finding the right surf buddy and surfing in Maine.

Home break: Maine, USA
Quiver: 8’6″ squash tail (Jim), 9’2″ noserider (Goose), plus a well-worn foamy
Surf buddy status: Legendary
Catchphrase: “You share the stoke more than anything.”

Tina moved to the Maine coast in 2024 and is now in her second full season of surfing. She’s a former ski racer and ice climber who took up surfing at 57—and got instantly hooked. With a determined pop-up and a cold-water wetsuit arsenal that would make a penguin sweat, Tina surfs year-round in sub-50°F water, often at dawn, and sometimes completely alone.

Her surf journey began with paddling drills on a lake and YouTube research, and she’s never taken a formal lesson. She believes in learning by doing, watching, and sharing waves with her favorite surf buddy, Lauren—whom she met via the Girls Who Can’t Surf Good Facebook group.

Tina’s approach is ultra-dedicated (21 days of surfing in a row, anyone?) but also deeply intuitive. She trusts her gut, embraces her fear, and gives herself grace. Despite past injuries and scary wipeouts, she’s all in—and dreams of living on a sailboat to surf the world.

Why we love Tina:

She’s the ultimate surf buddy—supportive, stoked, and the first to cheer when someone else catches a wave. She proves you don’t have to grow up surfing to build a deep connection with the ocean, and she reminds us that joy and progression can coexist with patience and cold toes.

Follow Tina’s local surf report and surf stoke here  and catch her on IG @tmheaney

This Wipeout Weekly podcast episode transcript was abbreviated to a blog post format by my good friend Chad (ChatGPT). He takes liberties, you know. You will find the full transcript below it. Host: Zuz Wilson | Guest: Tina Heaney

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Zuz:
You’re a bit of a legend among Girls Who Can’t Surf Good now, because you’re the surf buddy that everybody wants to have—especially after we shared your story with Lauren. So, tell me how that all came about.

Tina:
I’m a beginner. This is only going to be my second full season. I moved to the coast of Maine last May with my boyfriend, and aside from him—he’s an awesome surf buddy—I didn’t really have any female friends. He travels a lot, so I was looking for someone to surf with.

I posted in the Girls Who Can’t Surf Good group, met up with a few women, but most didn’t work out. One didn’t get in the water, another just wanted to talk while there were waves, and another disappeared after one session. It was hard.

Then Lauren and I met. She lives an hour away and I’m only half a mile from the beach, but she showed up ready to go. We hit it off immediately—it felt like I’d known her forever. We just clicked.

Zuz:
That’s so lovely. And you’ve been surfing together since?

Tina:
Yeah, we were actually out this morning. She rides a foamy, and I recently got my first brand-new board—my second hard top. I let her use my first board, an 8’6”, and I watched her catch wave after wave while I was getting nothing. I was so stoked for her. It was super foggy, the waves were getting bigger, and I couldn’t even see the beach, but I kept looking back and seeing her ride wave after wave. It was great.

Zuz:
I love that story. But wait—reading Lauren’s post, I assumed you were a super experienced surfer!

Tina:
Not at all! I come from a sports background. I was a ski racer, ice climber, hiker—those kinds of things. I can snowboard, but I’m a better skier. Surfing is the hardest, most frustrating, and most rewarding sport I’ve ever done. I got hooked quickly, even though I didn’t realize it at first—my boyfriend said he could see it in my face the first time I got worked trying to paddle out.

Zuz:
When was your first surf?

Tina:
It was two years ago, late May. My boyfriend took me out on this heavy wooden 9’8″ board he calls Gretchen. He pushed me into tiny waves and I just wanted more. Every step, I wanted more.

Zuz:
Did popping up come naturally?

Tina:
No, definitely not. My pop-up was all wrong at first. I was in this tight ski-racing tuck—compact and facing forward. We were on a video call one day doing yoga, and he saw it and was like, “Yeah, that’s your ski background.” We worked on it from there. I’ve done a lot of dryland drills, and I watch a lot of surf videos. I learn a lot visually.

Zuz:
What land exercises helped the most?

Tina:
Push-ups. Downward dog to cobra. Hip openers so I can drive that front foot through. I’ve been working on compressing more, keeping things tight. I’ve learned that weight shifting is critical—otherwise, I nosedive.

Zuz:
Have you ever been filmed to analyze your pop-up?

Tina:
Nope! Never taken a lesson or been to surf camp. I just surf.

Zuz:
That’s amazing. I’m working on a piece about whether you need lessons to progress. So many people used to just learn with a friend or on their own, but now it feels like there’s pressure to get coaching.

Tina:
I think lessons would be great—I just haven’t done one. It’s expensive, and I usually just do research online or ask people in the group. When I went to Baja recently, I learned what real Pacific surf is. Heavier waves, fast jackups. Cerritos was a shortboard wave. I’m a longboarder, and it was tough—but I adapted.

Zuz:
How was switching from East Coast mushy waves to Mexico reef breaks?

Tina:
Totally different. In Mexico, a three-foot wave in the report turns into an overhead wall when it jacks up. I remember riding down the line and seeing the wall next to me—I thought, “Don’t you dare screw this up.” I could’ve reached out and touched it. It was the coolest thing ever.

Zuz:
You surf through winters in Maine. What wetsuit do you wear?

Tina:
A 6/4/3 hooded suit, liquid-taped. Seven mil booties with wool socks, five mil lobster claw mittens. In the shoulder season, I wear a 4/3 with a hood and six mil boots. The water’s in the low 40s Fahrenheit. It’s heavy, and your hands get tired, but you build strength.

Zuz:
Do you prefer warm or cold-water surfing?

Tina:
Less wetsuit, for sure! It’s just more fun and less tiring.

Zuz:
How often do you surf?

Tina:
In summer, I’ll surf 5–6 days a week. Last year I surfed 21 days in a row. In winter, maybe once a week or every other week depending on the conditions. The more I surf, the faster I progress.

Zuz:
What’s been the hardest thing to learn?

Tina:
Popping up consistently. Trusting it. Knowing I can do it even when the waves are steep. And learning that the ocean reflects whatever you bring into it. It’s a mirror. If I’m frustrated or impatient, the ocean will show me that.

Zuz:
Have you ever thought “This is too much, I’m done”?

Tina:
No. Never. I’ve been scared, sure—but I always want to go back. I got smacked across the face, sliced by a fin in Mexico. But I’m not stopping.

Zuz:
Do you have any parting wisdom for new surfers?

Tina:
Just get out there. Don’t wait. You don’t need fancy gear. It’s a commitment, yeah, but it’s worth it. I’ve got a closet full of wetsuits now. And yes, a surf buddy helps—someone to share the stoke with. Lauren catching a wave while I point and yell, “YOU!”—that’s everything.

Zuz:
Thank you for sharing all of this, Tina. That was beautiful.

Tina:
Thanks, Zuz. I love being part of this community.