“The world tells women to age quietly, gratefully, invisibly. We answer with noise. With cold water. With ritual. With each other. This is what Granny Grommets are. This tribe stitches you back into yourself — not by fixing you, but by witnessing you.”
So said one of the Nahoon Granny Grommets.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why so many over-50 women have taken to the beach together, but common threads emerge in conversation and in the responses to a simple questionnaire circulated among the Nahoon surf regulars.
There is loss. One woman spoke quietly of how painful it was to be left alone after her husband died, and how the ocean became a place of release, healing and recalibration.
Another was mourning the loss of her young scientist son.
Others spoke of shedding long-held insecurities about their bodies. On the beach, they said, there was open-armed acceptance.
For some, retirement brought an unexpected emptiness, a sense of drifting after years of purpose.
For others, the departure of children left a silence that felt heavier than expected.
Yet these undercurrents of grief are balanced by something stronger — gratitude and joy.
And while much is said about the exhilaration of bouncing through waves on a bodyboard, many point to what happens afterwards — the parking lot gatherings, the beach socialising, and, frequently, cake.
“This is where I learnt to eat good cake,” one woman said, laughing.
The sense of belonging is a recurring theme.
“It is so important for us ladies to have a place where we can just be us. This is a tribe all of its own.
“There is not one person who does not fit in, no matter what your background. We live for Fridays.”
One member wrote: “Before GG I was a mess. GG has given me new meaning and friendship when I was ready to give up.
“It’s a union of women not afraid to show their wobbly bits and imperfections. No judgements. I can’t imagine life without this group.”
A recently retired teacher described overcoming hesitation.
“I was dreading retirement. I watched this group on Facebook and thought it looked like a blast. It took courage — I’m not a big sea swimmer, but I couldn’t miss out.
“I don’t usually appear in public without make-up, but on Friday mornings I’m there, footloose and fancy free in my cozzie, with only sunblock on my face.
“I get dumped pretty often and come out looking like a drowned rat — and I couldn’t care less.”
She spoke of the sheer rush of catching a wave and the astounding roar as it carries her shoreward.
Others describe it more simply.
“No clinic, tablets or doctors can give you what GG does. You’re never alone. In front of you, next to you, behind you is a GG. It changes lives. It changed mine.
“Every Friday at Nahoon, a group of grannies run into the sea and come out as 10-year-old girls again.”
Daily Dispatch
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