Moms on board

Hancey's older son, Austin, is 5, and Steele's just turned 4. But both boys boogie board in "knee slappers," or small waves. And their moms are looking forward to the time when they can all surf together.

Their friend Fran Lantz, on the other hand, has given up hope that her son, Preston, who is 9, will become interested in surfing.

At first, Ms. Lantz couldn't conceive of a child not wanting to surf. It was her dream when growing up in Pennsylvania. Not until she was 36 and living in California, however, did she go after that dream. A fellow mom had given her a nudge a year before when she threw her a surfing birthday party with a group of women and well-known Santa Barbara instructor Davey Smith.

"I got up on the board right away," she recalls. "I was secretly so proud of myself." Afterward, she enrolled in Mr. Smith's six-week class for moms. Even for natural athletes like Lantz, mastering the sport can take a couple of years. Not only does it require balance, strength, and stamina, but one also has to learn how to read waves, currents, and weather conditions.

The resurgence of the easier-to-master long board, Smith says, has had an impact on growing interest among women. Hugely popular in the 1960s but later replaced by short boards, it has made a comeback in recent years. Surfing is also a relatively inexpensive sport, Smith adds. One can find a quality board for $400 and a wet suit for $200. Both should last for a few years.

Smith especially enjoys teaching moms because they are so enthusiastic. Surfing demands total concentration,and they relish this enforced break from the minutiae of daily life.

Or, as Steele puts it: "Having a family to take care of, you can easily become consumed by duty, duty, duty. But when you can let go of all that by getting out on the water, sometimes with dolphins popping out of nearby waves, you get so in touch with your spirit."

For Steele and her friends, surfing isn't about huge waves and an adrenaline rush. Sure, it's a thrill to ride the crest of a big wave, and to her husband's delight, she does it effortlessly.But the zen of surfing for these moms is in letting go.

"Sometimes I go out when the waves are teeny-tiny," says Steele, "just so I can just paddle around and relax."

In southern California, where surfing is as much a part of the lifestyle as driving cool cars, surf classes include lessons on lingo as well as on form and technique. That way, when someone "snakes" a wave on you, your board gets "caddied" by another surfer, or you find yourself getting "tubed," you'll be able to talk the talk. This list of terms was provided by Surf Diva school for women in La Jolla, Calif.

Hanging 10: Placing all 10 toes over the nose (tip) of the board while balancing over the most critical part of the wave.

Tubed/barreled: Getting so deep inside a wave that the top portion tunnels over you as you shoot through the curl.

Pearling: Nosediving down the front of the wave, as if heading for the bottom of the ocean. Hence, "looking for pearls."

Riding the face: Gliding along parallel to the beach on the smooth, unbroken surface of the wave.

Caddy a board: To retrieve another surfer's wayward board.

Tailgating: Paddling out directly behind another surfer.

Snaking a wave: Cutting in front of another surfer who nabbed the wave you want.

Tea parties: When you are doing more talking than surfing.

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