The Importance Of A Suitable Bikini
...and the pitfalls of not having one. Although it might make for a great yarn, surfing in a bikini that wasn’t actually MADE for the surf, kind of sucks.
Almost every female surfer has a similar story…. “The time I got barrelled and my nipple was out” or “the time my bottoms came off and I had to walk up the beach covering myself with my board”… if you’re a female surfer, atrocious things have happened to you.
In decades past I might say, well, tough luck, you’ve just gotta deal with these bikini malfunctions. But in today’s world that’s not the case. In today’s world we have access to bikinis that are actually made for surfers, actually made for waves. We just have to know what to look for.
So, here’s a rule-of-thumb shopping guide, brought to you by our experts in swim design:
On The Basics
The biggest thing in bikinis and their strength in the surf is ensuring that the anchor points are strong. The anchor points are the under-bust strap and your waistband – the thicker the straps at those anchor points, the trustier your bikini will be when that set comes in from out the back.
Taking that into account, the Mirage and the Mirage Ultimate should be your go-to bikinis when you’re going to go for a surf. The entire line of bikinis, especially the Ultimate, is all about security. They won’t let you down.
On The Top
The reason these bikinis work so well are partly due to the thick bands at the anchor points, but also because of the all-over fix. They are either high neck crops (which completely secure your boobs at the front), or they’re fixed tri’s, where the bikini triangles don’t slide around. There is no adjustability, there are no moving parts – and based on the “compression fit”, it won’t move an inch in the biggest of surf.
On The Fit
Think of “compression fit” not as a size smaller, but like an active crop-top – it’s flattened, firm and fitting, and slightly compressed. And that makes sense! When you go for a job wearing a crop running top, you’re dressing to make sure that the girls don’t bounce around – that’s very similar to what you should do in the water.
On The Bottom
In terms of the bottom half’s design, I’d always go with a cheeky cut for the waves – if you want a baggy mess squished around your arse, then go with a larger cut. More fabric means more space for water to move it around. The cheeky cut will sit there and not move. But in saying all this, the biggest thing is ensuring the elastic is strong in the waistband at the top. In our summer range, we’ve got our unique Surf Grip ink there to stop them from falling down.
