Surf's Up, Way Up

For Izzy Tihanyi and her sisters, surfing has always been a way of life. "Our dad had us paddling on his long board at age three," she says. But Tihanyi noticed that they were usually the only girls riding the waves. As she grew older, she realized why. "If you wanted a lesson, it used to be very daunting. You would most likely find yourself in a group of sand-throwing teenage boys or, worse, being taught by one."

So in 1996, Tihanyi and her twin sister, Coco, opened Surf Diva, the world's first surfing school for women. Since then, she's watched women and girls embrace the sport. The San Diego school instructs up to 100 aspiring surf babes each weekend, proving that, for women, surfing has exploded. Movies like Blue Crush and celebrity surfers like Bethany Hamilton ‑- who's still a champ on her board despite losing an arm in a 2003 shark attack ‑- have given female surfers more visibility, though Tihanyi says that women still get far less financial support than the guys, and there are very few high-level women in the industry.

So who should catch the surfing craze? Tihanyi urges anyone who can swim at least 200 yards and isn't pregnant to grab a board. "It's a whole lot of fun, and we deserve it," she says. "One can only take so much treadmill or step aerobics to keep in shape."

Not that a rockin' bod is the only reason to try surfing ‑- it can also bring peace of mind. "When you leave your problems on land and marvel at the sunset from the water, everything becomes liquid gold," says Tihanyi. "The ocean makes you feel so vibrant and worry free. Just thinking about it makes me want to go surfing this minute."