The World Surf League’s 2026 Championship Tour has embarked on its regular season, taking the best surfers around the Pacific, the United States and even a stop to the United Arab Emirates. Its first stop: Bells Beach, Australia, from April 1 to 11.
Three years ago, Australian surfer Ethan Ewing won the 2023 Rip Curl Pro trophy at Bells, exactly 40 years after his late mother, Helen Ewing (previously Lambert), won at the age of 18 in 1983.
“It’s been my biggest goal in my career to win this [trophy],” he said after the final heat. “It is an honour to compete here. To put my name up there with her — it’s really special.”
This story — that almost sounds too good to be true — to me is a sign that perhaps we should reflect more deeply.
Helen Ewing was a pioneer for women’s surfing. After winning the trophy at Bells in ’83, she had to step away from the professional surfing circuit because the sport could not support her financially. Make no mistake, though, Ewing did not leave surfing entirely.
After becoming a mother, she founded the Surfing Mums social group and became president of the surf club on Stradbroke Island, called ‘Point Lookout Boardriders’ Club.’ Here, she took on the role of coaching the younger generation.
Ewing advocated for equality in women’s surfing, publicly demanding more prize money, coverage and effort for women. Helen Ewing was a figure for feminism in sports during a time when not many were.
In the same year she won at Bells Beach, she placed third at a competition in Sydney, receiving $50 in prize money. Accounting for inflation, that is around $164 in 2026 — barely covering groceries. Ewing put it best: “Hardly enough to get round the world.”
A decade later, Ewing was finally able to return to professional surfing. Despite the time away, she still won many titles and medals. However, devastation struck. In 2005, Helen Ewing lost her life to breast cancer, leaving behind a 6-year-old Ethan.
I think the lesson we can learn from Helen is we may not be able to find a solution to every question in life, but we should be the answer as many times as possible.
When there was not enough financial support for women in surfing, she fought for it. When she could no longer maintain a life in professional surfing, she found work in a field that connected her to the sport and made her money. She became the answer to the many issues in women’s surfing and the lack of equality in sports.
Hundreds of surfers, including champions, paddled out when Helen’s ashes were sent off into the ocean from Stradbroke Island, demonstrating the impact and love she had on her community and around the world. Helen paved the way for many of the surfers who came after her.
Ethan’s name is now written on the same trophy his mother once held and won. After winning, he said, “I’ve had her trophy next to my bed since I can remember and I’ve dreamt of having my name on the stairs with her.”
It’s been three years since his win, but his honor will forever be connected to Helen’s legacy — a woman who bettered and gave everything to a sport that couldn’t fully return the favor, allowing for generations of women after her to pursue their dreams unrestrained.
