#getoutthere in 2015

We live by the motto #getoutthere and you challenge, and inspire, us every day! So what is the MI OLA team up to in 2015? Our Team Riders and Brand Ambassadors seriously rock…check out what their goals are this year!

 

Helena (our chief-bikini-officer) @miolasurf

To get in the water every day I’m in Costa Rica. 5 times a week to swim or surf, and extra times to play with my 3 year old who’s getting more confident with her swimming skills.

When I’m in NYC for work, to be active every day… and maybe (if it makes $ sense) to join my pool again. Being in the water makes me happy, healthy and strong.

Izzy @izzyisup

I will be studying abroad for 3 months in Panama! I know it will be a crazy experience and I can’t wait!

muses_izzy_turtleSelfie

 

Briana @bvalorosi

In the new year, I am setting the intention for many travels. In February, I am coming to Costa Rica for a week long yoga retreat, then in May, a month in Baja for my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training. I am manifesting balance in 2015- on and off the mat, spiritually, mentally, physically, and in ALL of my pursuits.

 

Ashley A. @theviewfrom6ft

To get back into a morning routine with a yoga practice, time for homemade oatmeal or smoothie bowls, and the dedication to walk to work not drive. Waking up early is hard but so worth the me time.

 

Ellen @artemis_elleven

My aim for 2015 is to keep improving my underwater photography.

 

Jordyn @jordynbaratt

Surf trips to Baja, Mexico and entering (and winning) as many surf contests as possible!

Susi @insta_susi

My New Year’s Resolution is to get in great shape & snowboard & surf lots in the next year. And in general just to get outside lots. Hopefully we get nice summer waves so my daughter can learn to surf ; )

Rachel @rach.palmer

Read more books and drink more water!

 

Kristen @sambatothesea

To get my little toes on the nose!

 

Jessie @jbdittmer

Trip to Italy, France and Monaco!

 

Jasmine @jazzywazzy898

My goal for the new year is to visit as many beaches and surf as many waves as possible!

 

Elise @babeinthewaves

This year I wanna know how to get barreled perfectly

 

Nicole @nicolemichelley

To do a full triathlon!

 

Gracie @gracie_murdoch

My New Years Resolution is to become a better surfer. I want to surf at least 2 times a week with my family and friends and once I get my license we have multiple small surfing adventures planned for the new year

Amanda @mermanda_

I have a yoga retreat in Nicaragua planned for the end February. All are welcome!!

Christina @babbagram

2015 means a surf trip down south to Pavones, Costa Rica mid-year! I’ve been trying to get down there for over a year now – so this time it’s definitely happening!

Caitlin @sunburntandsalty

If I had to sum it all up I would have to say that my top goals for 2015 are to travel some place new, to keep growing Sunburnt & Salty Yoga Company, and to paddle out (and hopefully catch a wave!) at Tres Palmas. But most importantly, in 2015 I want to continue to stay healthy, to stay present, and to stay positive!

 

What are your goals this year?!

2014!

WHAT. A. YEAR!

From New York City to Costa Rica to all around the world, we’ve had a a crazy, but awesome year. Awesome as in…

Our Team Athlete Bailey Rosen kicked some behind in Oahu and then went off to California to start her freshman year at UCLA,

Our Brand Ambassadors have been #gettingoutthere all around the world,

muses_susi_stingray

muses_izzy_turtleSelfie

We learned some pretty cool things about the science of waves and surfing,

 

Photo Thomas Green

Got some pretty great local surf knowledge for Rockaway, Tamarindo, Rincon, the North Shore, Christchurch, and Moorea,

We took the pledge to check our boobies once a month for the #checkyourselfie campaign,

AND not to mention we had a bitchin’ photo shoot right here in Costa Rica for our 2015 look book.

So what is on tap for next year???

How about some new prints AND a super sexy one piece…. more women discovering MI OLA and #gettingoutthere, Oh, and hopefully a pretty rad surf trip…to Pavones so we can work on our backside. That is, our backside surfing!

So shiny, so new!!!!

 

 

 

Team Rider Stephanie Kwong

Whoever said that mermaids didn’t exist never met our MI OLA team rider Stephanie Kwong. We first met Steph right here on our home beach of Tamarindo walking her Siberian Husky, Niko. Since we already consider ourselves human mermaids, we just had to learn more about this amazing chica.

MI OLA: When did you start surfing?
Stephanie: I caught the surf bug in 2006 when I was bored in Toronto and wanted to get away and try something new. I decided to go volunteer traveling and found a package called “Surf & Save the Turtles” in Costa Rica - um, YES?! I love animals (that have 4 legs or less) and have always wanted to try surfing; it was a perfect combination. I spent 2 weeks living in a shack on a beach called Buena Vista close to Samara doing conservation work at night. During the day, I’d cross a river inhabited by crocodiles and walk close to an hour to get to Samara where the surf lessons were. Here, on the gentle sandy beach break in Samara was where I first learned to surf and contracted the surf bug.

MI OLA: What brought you to Costa Rica? How long have you lived here?
Stephanie: It has been 8.5 months since I officially sold everything in Toronto and moved my life (which means, myself & my dog Niko) down to Tamarindo.

Ever since I caught my first wave in Samara, I couldn’t stop thinking about surfing and being close to the ocean. I didn’t just fall in love with surfing, I fell in love with Costa Rica. I spent many visits backpacking through Costa Rica and eventually met my surf instructor who really taught me how to surf in 2010 in Jaco & Hermosa. This only fed my cravings to surf even more which not only made me fly back more often, but made me crazy enough to find freshwater surfing on the Great Lakes in Ontario, Canada. Yes - we can surf the Lakes and we don’t have sharks, jellies or crocodiles to worry about!

MI OLA: What is your favorite wave(s)?
Stephanie: Right now living in Tamarindo, I love surfing at the Rivermouth, Casitas or taking a little drive out to Avellanas especially when you’re heading out with friends or the other MI OLA girls like Kristen & Janiece.

On the Lakes, my favorite spot was at the Lighthouse where 90% of the time you’re more than likely to get skunked after fighting through traffic in a 6/5/4 wetsuit but when it worked, it was an amazing spot and I always had a blast there.

MI OLA: Any tips for chicas that are just starting to surf?
Stephanie: For the chicas starting to surf up on the Great Lakes - start somewhere warm like Costa Rica. Fall in love with the warm water ocean waves, then go home and practice on the Great Lakes; don’t let the boys take over the freshwater up there! Other than that - it starts out tough, don’t give up and bring a buddy to laugh and have a blast with.

MI OLA: Besides surfing, what else do you do to stay so fit?
Stephanie: I used to dance a lot of salsa but mainly bachata. However, having moved to Costa Rica, I spend the non-surfing hours taking long sunset walks on the beach with my best friend Niko; the best dog in the world (no bias!).

MI OLA: What do you do in your free time?
Stephanie: Surf, Surf and Surf? I think the better question is what I do when there are no waves! I’d be spending time wading through the tide pools during low tide with Niko, stare aimlessly at the ocean, fall asleep on the beach by accident, hang out with friends or make an attempt to keep in touch with family & friends up North. I also spent quite some time mermaiding in my MI OLA bikini top in various beaches with MI OLA team rider Janiece helping me getting in and out of the ocean; a mermaid is no good out of water without her assistant!

MI OLA: What is your favorite thing about your MI OLA suit? Which design(s)/color(s) do you like best?
Stephanie: I LOVE my MI OLA bikini - love isn’t even a strong enough word for it. The first bikini that is not only comfortable but most importantly - STAYS ON! My favorite is the X Back Top in Silver and the Thong tha Thong bottoms in Blue/Black Chevron but if I could I would just have every single color possible. The silver top also goes well with my mermaid tail.

MI OLA: Any cool stories about MI OLA … not slipping, other girls wanting to know about the suit you are wearing, etc.
Stephanie: I get of compliments on my silver X back and black/blue chevron combo. This suit stays on so well, I feel like I’m in it almost 24/7, it simply stays on, looks good AND matches everything I have.

MI OLA: As an active chica, what are a couple of things that you can’t live without/don’t leave home without?
Stephanie: SPF lip balm, a camera and hair ties!

MI OLA: What is it like surfing on the Great Lakes with fresh water?
Stephanie: Cold, Bitter Cold, wait no … freezing your ass off kind of cold … and lots of climbing over fences and backyards to get to some surf spots. My personal record is having surfed in a blizzard and -22*C weather and surfing in the middle of winter for an entire day in various spots without peeing in my suit. I refuse to pee in my 6/5/4 wetsuit and will bet anyone who wants to challenge me with a black light on my wetsuit! Surfing the Great Lakes is not very different from surfing saltwater, it’s pretty much the same but a lot of the times, the waves are messier and we’ll surf just about anything that has a little peak - oh, and very last minute because the waves like to lie and play tricks with your head. The best part of surfing the Great Lakes is the people - the Great Lakes Surfers are really what keeps me loving the lakes - they are the friendliest bunch out there and every wave is a party wave because we’re just happy there is a wave at all!

MI OLA: Tell us a little more about your Huskie Niko … we hear he has his own fan club!
Stephanie: LOL. Niko was a dog with a job! He starred in the remake of John Carpenter’s 1982 film “The Thing” which was released in 2011; you’ll even find him in the movie trailer. He also got himself a photoshoot op just before we moved to Costa Rica so this dog paid his own airline ticket to move down with me as well as his own vet bills and papers with the money he earned from the movie. His Facebook page was originally created for our own personal blogging purposes of tracking his aggression rehabilitation but somehow it slowly became a fan club with friends & family following us on what we were up to just for entertainment. He also likes to paddle out to the lineup or play fetch in freshwater with me.

Surf Guide Moorea

Meet Elise. She is one of our awesome MI OLA brand ambassadors. A couple of years ago she followed her heart and now lives in Moorea, French Polynesia. Her daily activities include surfing beautiful reef breaks with crystal clear water and under water training with sharks. How about that for #gettingoutthere?!

Given that Elise lives and surfs waves that we only dream of, we asked her to provide us with some local knowledge of surf in Moorea just in case Santa decides to gift us with a surf trip…

 

Moore Surf Guide by Elise (@babeinthewaves)

My surf story is quite unusual. I am a mountain girl; I grew up in the French Alps where I learned to ski and snowboard at a very young age. So how did this mountain girl end up in Polynesia surfing every day?

It’s the love story of my life. I met my true love, a crazy adventurer and wave lover, and it changed my life. By following him in his crazy adventures around the world, I learned to surf in the Canary Islands and then our trip to Indonesia sealed the deal. We spent two months surfing every day and I became addicted to surfing. As a result of that trip we decided to stay here in Tahiti, to never miss waves, coconuts or the sun!

Location:

Surf in Polynesia is very important, it is part of the culture and lifestyle. Polynesians have been surfing for a very long time. The earliest references about surfing are from the 15th century and were found in the notebooks of James Cook during his explorations of Tahiti and the Islands. At this time, men and women were surfing together, naked in the waves, but with the arrival of Missionaries and religion, it was considered obscene by the missionaries and was forbidden. In the 20th century surfing reappeared by the influence of the Hawaiians, practiced mostly by men. For women, because of religion, it was more difficult to return to the water.

Polynesians prefer powerful and big barreled waves. One of the most famous and best breaks in the world is Teahupoo. But I prefer to talk about other waves, so that you can discover less crowded and more accessible surf spots on my little island of Moorea.

Moorea, Tahiti’s sister island, is a beautiful island with white sandy beaches and stunning bays and is known for its sublime and breathtaking landscapes. For example, Cook’s Bay is frequently used in many movies, such as the Bounty. Moorea has a lot of high quality reef breaks. They are famous for their power, perfect waves and very aggressive and very shallow reefs. To surf them, the best way is guided by a local who will explain the spot. Also, if you have never surfed a reef break, Moorea spots are not the best ones to begin. There are often strong currents and it’s very shallow. For a first experience on a reef, I don’t recommend it. I never wear water shoes, but if you are sensitive to cuts and scrapes to the feet, you should wear a pair.

If you come for a surf trip to Moorea, make sure to bring EVERYTHING you need! There are no surf shops, no board rentals, no surf schools. You will be able to find a leash, deck pad, or wax at the gas station, but everything is expensive on this small island and Tahiti is 40 minutes by ferry boat.

Where to surf:

Surfing in Moorea is a privilege and an amazing experience. The view from the peak to the mountains is magical and the lighting is breathtaking. When you look down under your feet there are beautiful, colorful fish….and don’t be afraid to share your wave with a back tip or lemon shark!

Club Med Left, North shore: This is my home-spot and most accessible. It is a nice long left wave, with a first tubular bowl and two others bowls perfect for rollers and tricks. It works perfectly with north, northwest and east wind swell. If the swell is too big, beyond 2m, the pass is saturated. At the end of the wave, there is no longer water and you’re on the reef.

Best period: November to March.

How to go to the peak: taxiboat (Hotel Intercontinental Moorea Exp’Air Kite and SUP school), about $15 roundtrip.


Club Med Right, North shore: Only a few locals challenge this beautiful fast and powerful right. You must get it right as it breaks on a sharp reef with rocks popping out of the water. It is fast, hollow and tubular; this right is shorter and more intense than its left twin. Barrel lovers only! Works perfectly with north, northwest and east wind swell.

Best period: November to March.

How to go to the peak: taxiboat (Hotel Intercontinental Moorea Exp’Air Kite and SUP school), about $15 roundtrip.

 

Haapiti, West coast: Haapiti is a world class and famous wave, a perfect left. Bethany Hamilton came here to shoot for her new movie, #surfslikeagirl. This wave is changing all the time. It is never the same, depending on the swell and its orientation, which changes it radically. You can see it very fast with big barrels with a South West swell, and with South or South East swell you can see a perfect, long wave ideal for rollers and tricks. Haapiti is less shallow than the others but be careful because the reef is very aggressive and waves are very punchy.

Best period: April to October

How to go to the peak: taxiboat (Hotel Intercontinental Moorea Exp’Air Kite and SUP school), about $30 roundtrip or taxiboat (Surf B & B Haapiti)

 

Temae, South East coast: Temae is a beautiful powerful and technical right, one of the rare on the island. It works very rarely (by SE swell) and requires a very good technical level of surf and much experience. It breaks on a very shallow reef. Many surfers are scared by this one because of several accidents, but it is also very prized for its rarity and radicalism. The positive thing of this break is that it breaks on the shore. Negative thing? It is very hard launching between rocks and sea urchins!

How to go to the peak: Go to the Temae golf course, search the beach and look for it breaking!

I have spoken only of radical Reef breaks, best for only for advanced or experts surfers. However there are also the Beach breaks of the North shore of Tahiti, where I trained a lot when I arrived in French Polynesia.

Ahonu: A fast, barreling Beach Break, mostly surfed by teens and bodyboarders for its fast and hollow waves. Works very well with north swell from November to March. Small waves to play all the rest of the year, but exposed to the wind. Very crowded on the weekend. Black sand beach!

Orofara: A Beach break with slower and softer waves that is mostly surfed by SUPers or longboarders. It works very well with north swell from November to March. There are small waves to play in all the rest of the year, but exposed to the wind. Very crowded on the weekend. Black sand and rocks!

Papenoo: A high quality Beach break, perfect with north swell from November to March. It is very crowded on the weekend and is the place for local contests. Rocks!

There are other surf spots on the island but most of them are secret and are finicky, so to find them you have to be patient, curious and you have to talk with local guys.

Crowd Factor:

Tahitians are generally very friendly and if you respect them there will be no issue. Be careful and don’t go inside to the peak first. If you respect the locals, you will catch more waves! Don’t paddle on another surfer’s waves and always look inside before catching a wave! We salute the locals by saying “Ia Orana”, when we get to a break. It is definitely nice to speak the language, and make a small Shaka Love as a peace sign. There also are no-to-very few female surfers. If you’re a girl and a good surfer, locals might let you some waves and encourage you; the Polynesians are little charmers.

Other activities:

You can still enjoy Tahitian shows of traditional dances and songs, mostly organized by the hotels. The best shows are on the place of Tiki Village (traditional Polynesian reconstructed village), with the best company of Moorea, where you will have a unique and amazing evening in the tradition of Polynesian songs and dances. Don’t miss it!

Moorea offers a multitude of exceptional activities. Stand Up Paddle in the lagoon with rays and sharks, dives with whales and dolphins, treks inside the island to see waterfalls. Any nature lover will love the wide variety of fauna and flora.

In Moorea you can also kite board on the North shore lagoon (Wind season from May to October). Check out Hotel Intercontinental Moorea Exp’Air Kite and SUP school.

Nights in Moorea are very quiet and if you like clubbing or drinking, dont expect to find it here . Moorea is not Ibiza; we live with the sun: we get up early and go to bed early.

How to get there/where to stay:

The easiest way to come is to fly to Papeete or Moorea (there is a small airport). A ferry shuttles between Papeete and Moorea every day, several times per day. The best is to land in Papeete to enjoy its famous market and discover the beautiful gardens of Paofai, and then take the ferry to Moorea. You will need to rent a car or a scooter to enjoy the Island.

The flight ticket to Tahiti is expensive, but once there, the inner-island tickets are affordable and it’s an opportunity to visit small atolls and motus. Who hasn’t ever dreamed about the Tuamotu Islands, to surf secrets spots and the make the most of beautiful diving?!

For accommodation, I prefer guesthouses and homestays, which are much more affordable and local than hotels or resorts. It’s a good way to meet the local people and enjoy the legendary Polynesian kindness and hospitality. You can find good places on this website: www.tahiti-pensions.com

Apres Surf:

We say “Le Ma’a”, or eat local! Local specialties include raw fish with coconut milk - an unmistakable traditional dish, grilled mahi-mahi and Ma’a Tahiti (Pua roti, Taro, Sweet Potatoes, Fafalu)…you have to try and taste it!

Some food trucks and snacks worth savoring: Chez Fred or Snack Mahana.

Pizzas, burgers and other junk food are also very easy to find, but it is not where you eat the best.

You can buy some of the best fruits and vegetables on the roadside. Many merchants offer delicious fruits of quality, for example pineapple, emblematic and sacred fruit of Moorea (there is even a Pineapple Road). You can also find good fish, white tuna, red tuna, mahi-mahi, swordfish …. on the edge of the road that’s where it is the freshest and cheapest!

 

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

We promise we have been good this year, so could you pretty, pretty, PRETTY please bring us some waves? Just in case someone has already asked for that, here are a couple more options on our MI OLA Christmas list

Polaroid Instagram Camera- Taking the polaroid camera to a whole new level. Available for pre-order, ships January 1. $299

Sanitas Solar Block- When you spend a lot of time in the sun surfing, your skin starts to beg for the good stuff. MI OLA team rider tested and approved. $25

MI OLA one piece- We may just have a pretty smokin hot one piece coming oh-so-soon…

Ocean Grown accent pillow- Bringing the beauty of the tropics to your home; now you can wake up to a magical Costa Rican sunset every day. Better yet, our very own team rider Kristen takes these breath taking photos. $40

Kate Davis X Goldfish Kiss stacking ring: Three words: Jaw-dropper-bling. $132

 

RayBan Aviator Sunglasses: Sea of blue….$139

Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell Speaker: Dust proof, water proof and hardcore tough. $129

Custom Chucks from QTee: Turqouise pineapples = AMAZING

AND Santa, if you can get down the chimney with a surfboard, we would L-O-V-E a Robert August Surf Company “Fun Dip” model, customized with MI OLA fabric inlay….kinda just like the one that our very own Kristen just got with her photographs (see example below)…

Although this is a pretty awesome Christmas wish list (for real, we would be stoked to get ALL of these items), above all, we are really looking forward to celebrating the holidays with some downtime with our families and friends.

Happy Holidays!!!!

P.S. Santa, if none of these items fit your your bag, how about a winning lotto ticket?!

Team Rider Janiece Clark

Put on your MI OLA tog, grab your jandals, and #getoutthere!

Huh?! For those of you who are as confused as we were when we first heard these words, let us introduce you to our team rider Janiece Clark from New Zealand. We love rad women that #getoutthere and this Kiwi is one of them. Janiece took a year sabbatical from work and moved half way across the world to no other than MI OLA tropical home base, Tamarindo. We were entranced by Janiece’s Kiwi accent when we met her… and her rad surfing and sunny smile didn’t hurt! We recently sat down with her and chatted about surfing, New Zealand, and bikinis!
MI OLA: When did you start surfing?

Janiece: [Editor’s note: insert New Zealand accent] I started surfing in my late twenties, which is pretty surprising for most people when they hear that I am from New Zealand. A friend of mine had just come back home from a trip to Portugal where she had been surfing; she met a guy there who runs a surf camp in Sri Lanka and she asked me if I wanted to go with her for New Years and learn to surf… surfing was something that I had always wanted to try so I decided why not? I’m always keen for an adventure! I didn’t catch the surfing bug right away though, it wasn’t until our third New Years trip when we came to Tamarindo, Costa Rica when everything surfing kinda clicked for me. When I got home I went out and brought my first surf board in January 2012 and ever since then surfing has taken over my life!

MI OLA: What brought you to Costa Rica? How long have you lived here?

Janiece: I’ve been living in Tamarindo, Costa Rica since the end of January 2014… so 11 months now. I meet the lovely Kristen Brown (and now my good friend) on my second trip to Costa Rica in November 2012 not long after she first moved here, and I was inspired by her story of giving up the big city life in New York and move to a foreign country to do something you really love — surfing. At the time I was in CR for 6 weeks, travelling by myself and surfing. When it came time to go home and I was crying in the shuttle on my way to the airport I knew I had to do something about getting back to Costa Rica as soon as possible. So after some long discussions with my family and boss, and saving hard out, I was back for a year long sabbatical less than 18 months after I left. The sad thing is my sabbatical is coming to an end in a month and I have to go home to the real world again, but there is no doubt in my mind that I will be back in Costa Rica as soon as possible and hopefully permanently!
MI OLA: What is your favorite wave(s)?

Janiece: It’s so hard to pick a favourite wave! There are so many that I love… but nothing beats you local, which for me right now is the rivermouth and left break in Tamarindo. I also love surfing at Avellanas, it’s close enough to home that it’s not too far to get to but still feels like you are going on a surfing road trip, especially when you go with the MI OLA girls. Back home in NZ, Muriwai is my local and one of my favourite spots to surf with it’s black sand and wild weather on the west coast of Auckland. The great thing about surfing in NZ (especially the Auckland area) is that if one coast isn’t working, you can drive for an hour and be on the other coast… so that being said, when it’s too big and stormy and the wind is onshore at Muriwai I love going to the east coast and surfing at Forestry (where that same onshore wind that was ruining the waves on the west, is now a perfect offshore on the east). This spot literally has nothing there! It’s a bit of a drive to get there, with the last 30 minutes being driven on dirt farm roads, parking is in a clearing amongst a pine tree forest (hence the name) and you have to hike over the dunes with your board to get to the break but it’s definitely worth every minute because the surf is amazing… left hand point break and A frames up and down kilometres of empty beach so there is always room to find the perfect un-crowded spot for yourself.

Forestry

Muriwai

MI OLA: Any tips for new surfers who are just starting up?

Janiece: Never give up! Find a friend to surf with, have fun and laugh.

MI OLA: Besides surfing, what else do you do to stay so fit?

Janiece: I used attend the gym religiously at home (before surfing took over my life!), but being in Tamarindo I haven’t felt the need to do any extra exercise to stay fit. It also helps that I don’t have a car here, so riding my mountain bike and walking everywhere keeps me in pretty good shape.
MI OLA: What do you do in your free time?

Janiece: In my free time, I love to hang out with my friends and just shoot the shit and there is nothing better than catching up with friends over a beer for sunset at one of the many beach front bars here in Tamarindo when there are no waves. I also read a lot and I love taking photographs of my travels so there is always photo editing to be done.

MI OLA: What is your favorite thing about your MI OLA suit? Which design(s)/ color(s) do you like best?

Janiece: My favourite piece is the Pin Up Top, I have it in Magenta and I love the fact that it doesn’t have any ties so it is awesome under a wetsuit. Also, I’m a bigger busted gal and it has a lot of support and still keeps everything in place when I’m in the water especially when I’m not surfing in a rash guard. I also have the Casita Boy Thong in Magenta, it’s super comfy and makes my arse look great!

MI OLA: Any cool stories about MI OLA?

Janiece: With being a bigger busted girl and surfing in the tropics where no wetsuit is required, I never liked surfing without a rash guard. This always seemed like the best option for me so I didn’t have any Janet Jackson incidents and flash the guys in the line up… however that all changed when I arrived at the beach one day here in Tama and realised that I had let my rashie at home; I had a dilemma on my hands… did I walk home to get it (about a 20 minute walk one way) and risk missing out on the awesome waves if the conditions changed while I was gone or do I just go out and surf. Well, of course the waves won and I went out surfing, I was really surprised to find out that everything stayed in place and where it was meant to be, especially after some pretty spectacular wipes outs!

MI OLA: As an active surfer, what are a couple of things that you can’t live without/ don’t leave home without?

Janiece: I can’t leave home without my bikini, sunscreen… I love Surfers Skin (an Australian brand of sunscreen which is great for in the water) and my RayBans.

MI OLA: Can you give us a quick lesson in Kiwi?

Janiece: Kiwi slang is something special and often only people from my part of the world know what I’m talking about… the number of times I have said something to my friends here and I blank look of confusion happens a lot! I guess the most common thing that confuses people is when I mention something about my jandals (flip flops) or togs (swimsuit) and my accent definitely doesn’t help the confusion. If you want to learn more about kiwi slang there is a great blog that explains it all: http://www.brenontheroad.com/travellers-guide-new-zealand-slang/

 

Thanks!

THANK YOU!

Gratitude is a great thing. It can change your day for the better to remember all the things In Spanish, Thanksgiving is “Día de Acción de Gracias”, or Day of Thanks. With Thanksgiving in the United States around the corner (next week!!!), we thought we would take a moment to reflect on the past year and give our thanks. We are thankful for… The MI OLA team: our MI OLA athletes, team riders and brand ambassadors.

All you women that inspire us and #getoutthere.

Boobs! That’s right, we said it: B-O-O-B-S, ta-tas, melons, jugs, head lamps, or just plain ole breasts. In October we participated in the #checkyourselfie challenge. The MI OLA team, from Chief Bikini Officer Helena to our brand ambassadors pledged to do our monthly checks. We want to continue to help keep the ladies locked-and-loaded in place, but in order to do that we need you to do your part too! Have you #checkedyourselfie yet?

Waves! Rights, lefts, point breaks, reefs, and beach we love them all!

Last but not least, YOU, our customers. You inspire us and push us to make the best bikinis out there that keep up with you. From the bottom of our hearts, GRACIAS!!

Get Ready…

It’s getting cold up north, so the MI OLA team decided to shoot our 2015 look book in our backyard. Why go any further!?! Think metallics, a one-piece, a beautiful feather print, and stunning rash guards. The best part is that these stunners stay on while you #getoutthere!

In three days we shot at our favorite spots in Guanacaste the Northwest province of Costa Rica. Playa Conchal, Playa Avellanas, Boutique Hotel Cala Luna, Playa Langosta, and of course our tropical home base, Playa Tamarindo. We squeezed a lot into the three day shoot, and we could not have done it without our amazing team! From sunrise to sunset the team was working to capture the beauty of Costa Rica and our new patterns.

We can’t wait to unveil, but until then here is a special sneak peak…

A very special thanks to photographer Gianni Diliberto, model Andrea Yurko, makeup artist Dominique Farina. And of course, our super producer (and MI OLA team member) Myra Gonzalez. You are a wonder woman!

Surf Guide: Christchurch, New Zealand

If you are not following the adventures of @insta_susi yet, then we highly recommend that you should. We met Susi through our MI OLA Brand Ambassador search and we just can’t get enough of this adventurous chica and mother of two beautiful girls. From surf trips in Bali, hill bombing in her MI OLA suit, to braving the freezing cold weather to take the pledge picture for #checkyourselfie, Susi keeps us on our toes for what she is up to next!

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We recently chatted with Susi about helping us to do a surf guide on one of the amazing places she has surfed. First location up is Sumner and Taylor’s Mistake in the Christchurch area of New Zealand. Check out the details from Susi herself!

 

My greatest passion in life is surfing and travelling and these two seem to go hand in hand nowadays. My surf adventures have taken me to Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Bali, Hawaii, Taiwan, Maldives, France, Spain, Norway and of course I have tried river-surfing on Munich’s famous Eisbach in Germany. My first local beach were the beaches of Christchurch, New Zealand.

Although I have settled down in Norway, surrounded by beautiful mountains and stunning coast lines with the occasional day of great surf, I still miss my New Zealand surf buddies and the fact that it was so easy back then to cross the street and be out in the surf. Growing up in southern Germany – more than 1500km away from decent surf it was like a dream come true to finally live by the sea in New Zealand.

Location: Christchurch, New Zealand: Sumner and Taylor’s Mistake

New Zealand is blessed with 15,000 kilometers of coastline featuring a variety of breaks, waves, points and reefs. The diversity and consistency of surfing conditions is as remarkable as the stunning coastline itself. Christchurch is the largest city on New Zealand’s South island and within a 30-50 minute drive are several great breaks.

 

Where to Surf:

Sumner

I lived in a little suburb just outside of Christchurch called Sumner. It is right at the beach and is charming with its palm trees and small cafes. It has a nice vibe going and this is where I learned to surf.

I surfed a lot at Sumner the first few months, however it is a bit of a sluggish wave and best ridden on a map (longboard). The beach break offers both left and rights and it is all over sand bottom. It works best at low or mid tide, as it gets a backwash at high tide. Also it can be tricky getting back in at high tide when the water is up on the rocks. Your easiest access point then is the boat ramp at Scarborough where you can easily get in and out off. On bigger days there can be an extremely strong rip dragging people out along the breakwater. The waves are best with ENE swells and it is offshore with SW winds.

If you happen to travel there and want to try out surfing – surfcoach Aaron and his learn to surf crew hire out equipment along the Esplanade and give great surf lessons. They are super friendly and professional, which I know first hand, as I occasionally worked there as a surf instructor.

 

Taylor’s Mistake

My favorite and true local however wave is Taylor’s Mistake, where I surfed most of the time. It is just around the hill from Sumner, a small bay on Banks Peninsular. The waves are of better quality, however this place gets super crowded. You can surf Taylor’s on all tides and it needs a good ENE groundswell and W winds to really fire. But when it’s on it’s on. If it gets bigger, you can use the rip along the rocks on both sides of the bay to help you get out.

If the waves weren’t good on my doorstep, there were endless options up or down the coast, but most my road trips where to the wild and breathtaking West Coast, where you’ll nearly always find surf.

 

Water temperature:

Water temperatures are fairly cold on the East Coast of the South Island ranging from 6 degrees Celsius in the winter to 21 degrees in the summer. So from end of January till the end of February, you have about 1 month to surf in your MI OLA bikini ; ) The further north you go in NZ, the warmer the water.

 

Crowd Factor:

Watch out for crowds as surfing has definitely gotten super popular at both Sumner and Taylor’s Mistake.

 

Apres Surf:

If you feel like a bite to eat after your surf Sumner has plenty options, but you won’t find anything at Taylor’s. Coffee Culture does great coffees, I used to love getting a takeaway chai latte and a sweet treat and walk along the beach or the Esplanade while looking at waves. Often my hubby and I used to surf till it was pitch black, so we would grab some yummy Indian at Indian Sumner or Little India or Thai from Redcliffs or Ferrymead (both really close). I haven’t lived there in nearly 4 years and after all the Earthquakes things have changed a lot, so I don’t know what’s still there and what’s new.

 

How to get there:

There is only one main route to Sumner from Christchurch and is well sign posted. Sumner is just twenty minutes drive from the centre of town If traveling by bus take the No. 3 Bus to Sumner, get off at the Stoke St stop in Sumner and walk 200 metres to the beach.

For Taylor’s Mistake, drive to the coastal suburb of Sumner, and then continue on to the Port Hills via Evans Pass Road. It is approximately a 50 minute drive from the centre of Christchurch. Public transport stops in Sumner, which is then a 45-60 minute walk over the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#checkyourselfie

The “C” word. C-A-N-C-E-R. This past month at MI OLA, we helped promote Breast Cancer Awareness through Keep-a-Breast’s #checkyourselfie campaign. Prevention is the cure and according to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. That means you or one of your friends could very well be diagnosed. Early detection is key to surviving this disease!

AWARENESS
Know your Body. Know your breasts. Knowledge is power. Give your breasts daily massages. And if you need a reminder to check your breasts each month, download Keep-a-Breast’s free app.

#GETOUTTHERE!

“Some studies have shown that just 30 minutes of aerobic activity 3-5 times a week could lower your risk by 30-50%! Plus, exercise boosts your T-Cells and helps your immune system battle back against cancer. In addition to exercise and keeping a controlled weight, eating healthy to eliminate toxins from your diet and life has also shown to be very important.”

Here are our favorite #checkyourselfie’s from this year!

And if our ambassadors can check themselves while underwater training, or skating down a big hill, or while they are camping outside of civilization for 6 weeks… you can fit this quick check in each month. Your life could depend on it.

A high five to our brand ambassadors and team riders for helping spread awareness. Your #checkyourselfie photos rocked!