Every surfer has a story and this is the latest installment of our Surf ATL Community Spotlight series where we will feature surfers and those part of the surf culture in the Atlanta area. Check out our previous spotlights on Thomas Roginsky, Spencer Broome, Anthony Kennedy, Nick Bramwell, the Merlo Family, Mike Dobbs, Kristian Erik Bjerke, Jamie Eichler, Doug Paul, Brandon Spivia, Robert Hanson, Liam Spoon, Eric Ilustrisimo, Susan Bond, Jason Smith, and Garrett Gilfillan.
Introduce yourself!
My name is Silvia Saey and I have a lifestyle blog and founded an international online business designing unique accessories called Good Tidings, inspired by my personal life and cultural travels. All the items are handmade in the United States and 10% of profits go to non-profit organizations.
Do you ocean surf, wake surf, river surf, paddle surf? Any or all of the above?
I wake surf and enjoy being surrounded by nature and the water.
How did you get into surfing? In Atlanta or somewhere else?
I got into surfing thanks to a few fun friends some years ago and loved it right away! I wrote a blog about how I got into it and the positive impact here.
Who would have ever thought that a mother of three who’s work-out routines had never gone any further than tennis, running, bootcamp and some Pure Barre would fall in love, head over heels with wake surfing?
I was shocked, more than anybody else… but the minute I got up on that surfboard i knew this was going to be a very big part of my journey, of our lifestyle as a family.
I feel so lucky our adventurous friends kept telling me over and over to try this crazy sport. I kept telling them i was going to try it later…
Later, in my next life, i was thinking, the window of opportunity for this challenge had passed.
They didn’t give up and by the time they asked me for the fifth time, the crazy little Angel on my shoulder sprinkled some magic dust on my legs. I just stood up and jumped in the water.
By the time i got back to reality i was standing on that Surfboard, holding the rope while the boat pulled me.
The feeling was overwhelming yet so natural…It felt like a MIRACLE!!!!
I was riding the waves, feeling the energy of the water. The sun on my face, wind in my hair and a feeling in my soul i can’t describe. A feeling of freedom, extreme happiness, unity with nature.
A feeling of enlightenment.
In that moment i knew that we can truly do anything we set our mind to. We cannot let fear dominate our life…. Stepping out of our comfort zone makes us feel more alive. All we need to do is motivate each other to be brave. We all have a fire within us that can take us anywhere we want to, sometimes we just have to dig a little deeper to find it.
Since that day I made surfing a part of my routine. Once a week my surf buddies and I clear our busy schedules and go on the lake for a few hours. We fill our souls with the magical, positive surfing energy.
It didn’t take long to convince the whole family to join me on this adventure. They are now loving it as much as I do. We even decided to put Hawaii next on our bucket list.
When you least expect it, the adventure finds you.
Where and how often do you surf?
I got into surfing on Lake Allatoona! And normally I will surf once a week with friends and once a weekend with the family!
What do you do to advance your surfing/what is your favorite thing about surfing?
My favorite thing about surfing is the connection with nature, how non-aggressive wake surfing is and how gentle it is for the body, and of course, the joyful moments surfing creates by playing music on the boat with a group of friends while we take turns surfing.
Any surfers in the Atlanta or Georgia community who should be spotlighted/catch your eye?
Tammie and Jeff Dalrymple are amazing surfers and got me and my family into the sport a few years ago.
