You don't even have to be into surfing to enjoy this movie, but it helps.
I love to throw a board into the Pacific Ocean or anywhere else I happen to be that has waves crashing and a chance to paddle out beyond the breakers only to come speeding back into shore on the next good swell.
Now let's cast our minds back to the 1980s, which is where this story starts and chronologically runs through to the current era of surfing with Aussie Stephanie Gilmore or Happy Gilmore as she's referred to in this near 2 hour documentary that will take you on your own ride.
Enter the world of professional surfing.
It's a damn circus of brightly coloured board shorts and bikinis.
There's no shortage of blonde hair and fit people because the surf will do that to you overtime.
It was an era of Super-sized male egos that needed plenty of stroking and got it from their girlfriends sitting back on the beach, or in their cars waiting for their tanned heroes to emerge from the surf.
"GIRLS CAN'T SURF" follows these renegade female heroines who had to fight for their right just to surf let alone get decent prize money on the world stage.
They still had to pay for flights, accomodation and meals just to compete for International titles and follow their dream with little, if any, corporate sponsorship.
These young girl surfers dared to take on a male-dominated professional sport with huge inequalities...sometimes forced to sleep in their surf board bags at the venues
But they fought against all odds and change the sport forever.
Surfing greats including: Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley and so many more speak boldy and directly down the barrel of the camera, just as they rode some of the best barrels in surfing at some of the craziest places on the planet.
You won't believe the crap they had to tolerate just to get onto the podium.
"GIRLS CAN'T SURF" is a confronting and honest recollection of this long wild ride. Personalities clashed, even amongst themselves, and especially with the organisers and male surfers...some of whom though girls only belonged in Bikini parades and not sharing the same ocean as them.
Sexism is alive and well in this brilliant doco, plus adventure, heartbreak and lots of laughs too.
Ultimately each woman was fighting to make their dreams of competing a reality.
I found this to be an empowering history of badass women who made me proud and laugh out loud with their cool attitude.
Two Thumbs up to the ladies of the ocean.
Stick around to the end to find out what's happening in their lives post retirement in the "civilian life" as they call it.
These are the real mermaids who challenge themselves and men to get out there and have a go!
Just like the movie "White Men Can't Jump" this movies title was very much tongue in cheek.
The perfect movie for this Aussie bloke to see on International Women's Day.
