“If you think about all the blue spaces that we enjoy so much…when we are paddling or waiting for a set to come in. We have those awe-inspiring moments where we realise the vastness of the environment around us and how small we are but also how significant we are as part of that… You forget that you’re separate from that space” says Lizzi Larbalestier.

Surfing does far more for us than a physical workout. Lizzi is a Blue Health Coach and Blue Mind advocate, throughout the film she adds insight into the surfers’ journeys, explaining why we feel the way we do when we are in, near or on the water. “The ocean is very womb-like. There’s a background roar. And anybody that knows the ocean, will know that it’s not the lapping of the waves… There’s a background white noise that’s equivalent to being in the womb. It’s something that is very familiar to us.”

Lizzi’s Blue health background and expertise provides the scientific insight behind why we feel so connected to water.

But could you lose sight of that pure connection when you are a competitive surfer?

Arlene Maltman is the winner of the 1983 European Championships, 1984 and 1987 British Championships (and a member of Team GB at 3 World Games.) In the history of UK surfing, she was one of the first British Women to win both championships and went onto compete as a pro on the ASP tour.

Arlene started surfing in the mid 70’s in Jersey, the Channel Islands and at 11 years old, she caught her first wave. She became the first woman on the island to show her dedication to the sport by surfing year round and throughout the winter months. This was of a time when there weren’t any wetsuits designed for women cold water comforts involved a do-it-yourself job of woollen gloves, marigolds secured by rubber bands and the wrists. Her career started with a desire to bring competitive heats for women to the Channel Islands. She won a few and went on to gain a place on the GB surf team. This has since paved the way for a stream of Channel Island talent - including Kitty Brewer and Phoebe Gould.

When we met Arlene, she was at a time in her life where her competitive career was coming to an end. She had begun to ask herself, “Well, where do I go now?” When your whole identity and sense of purpose is tied up in competitive surfing, what do you do when that is no longer there for you? Your whole relationship with the sea has to change. And what a turbulent relationship it can be, especially with forces outside of your control such as the weather changes and plummeting ocean temperatures. It can bring up so many barriers in the mind that prevent ourselves from committing to the moment.

With a masters in Neuroscience, a Phd in psychology and as a practicing martial artist - Dr. Tamara Russell specialises in the embodiment of mindfulness and how our minds and bodies are connected. In the film she provides knowledge and practical solutions on how we can overcome our fears and anxieties.

“We can have that experience of fear without reacting to it. You can acknowledge fearful states but not go into shutdown. And I guess with practice and experience you learn that you need to just see that there’s that feeling. Not get caught up in it, release it or let go of it in whatever way you can, which then frees up the mental resource to focus, be clear, pay attention and go for it.” Dr. Tamara Russell

Anxiety in the sea is something many of us face. When we met Natalie Fox, she had already gone on a journey of self-discovery in terms of her connection to the ocean.

“It’s been a real observational process to learn how my mental state impacts my surfing and vice versa. I didn’t have a clue of how that worked at the beginning of surfing. I thought it was purely a physical sport and I felt quite shocked that no one really guides you through it. No one kind of understood the frustration and the upwelling of emotions and thoughts that came from surfing… But that’s why I found it so challenging and so awakening” Natalie Fox.

Natalie expresses her gratitude to the ocean for its gift in helping her work through her anxieties and fears. A gift she gives back through her work in Marine Conservation.

Both Natalie and Arlene have lived such different lives and their devotion to the big blue has manifested in different ways. But through their relationship with the sea, both have learnt a more embodied relationship with compassion. Through experiencing the ocean in its pure form, compassion has rippled out in their lives.

“There’s something in that surfing experience - when you drop into that moment... You’re no longer self aware or self conscious. Conditions have been created (body, mind, nature, movement), which allow you to enter a different space. One where you're no longer just self - you're in a space connected to everything…” Dr Tamara Russell.

The making of Undercurrents started with a question of why we do this crazy sport in often rubbish conditions and freezing temperatures. It ended up taking us on a journey that has taught us so much about ourselves and our relationship with the ocean.

Through their wisdom and insight, we came to understand the facts behind the feelings that draw us back to the ocean, again and again.

What we were left with was a love letter to the sea.