Hoku by Soul Surf
I joined Sienna Coulter on a beautiful morning on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to shoot Soul Surfs new range of longboards.
They called these beautifully designed high performance all rounders ‘Hoku’. The name has come from the Hawaiian word for star and each board is stamped with a starfish decal to remind the rider that they deserve to shine like a star.
When i asked Sharene from Soul Surf to tell me more about the Hoku, this is what she had to say and why i had so much fun photographing this beautiful board.
The Hoku range is something very close to my heart. We originally decided on designing a range of surfboards for women as we felt that support and encouragement for female surfers was needed (following the longboard comp circuit for many years, I always felt disappointed for the girls who participated, as the trophies/prizes/prize money etc. was always pretty dismal compared to the guys, so it was always my vision to get behind women’s surfing however I could).
The name ‘Hoku’ was born from a combination of this desire to support women’s surfing, wanting to keep the connection to the traditional style of surfing, and one of my favourite quotes:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We were all meant to shine. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (Marianne Williamson)
The boards are designed to be an all-rounder, with highly responsive performance, speed down the line, and great performance on the nose. They’re extremely easy to paddle, with the perfect balance of just enough nose and tail lift, so you’re not pushing water.
Surfer | Sieanna Coulter @siennacoulter
Brand | Soul Surf @soulsurfaus
Photographer | Mikala Wilbow @shesurfs_official
Location | Manly Beach
