A NEW surf festival dedicated to women was held for the first time on the Isle of Wight.

The Wight Wahines Surf Festival, which took place at Compton Bay on September 28, was devised following a candid discussion between friends after a surf session.

The event featured a host of activities, including a paddle out and fun surf, yoga, pilates, sauna, massage, reflexology and beach games, including tug o' war.

The festival's organiser, Tara Troussier, said: "My friend Madi suggested we should get together to create a surf festival on the Island.

Two women having fun surfing at Compton.Two women having fun surfing at Compton. (Image: Martin Richomme) "But then we thought, would it not be great to show younger girls that there is a great female surf community on the island?"

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Tara, keen to highlight the uniqueness of the Island's female surf community, said: "Surfing in different places around the UK or the world, we realised it was quite unusual to have that many women in the sea all year round."

The festival aimed to create a sense of community, through shared fun, rather than serious competitions.

Women taking advantage of the festival's wellness benefits.Women taking advantage of the festival's wellness benefits. (Image: Martin Richomme) "We considered different formats for the day — fun competitions, beach games and serious competition, but we realised that to create a real sense of community, a fun surf all together would be the best," explained Tara.

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"So, this year, the plan was to paddle out altogether, have a cheer and a smile, and then catch lots of fun waves together."

The event was not just about surfing, as Tara collaborated with other Island businesses to offer yoga and pilates classes, together with discounted sauna sessions.

Stalls were set up in the main car park, and a beach clean-up was organised by Surfers Against Sewage.

A bake sale was also held to raise funds for The Wave Project IOW's surf therapy courses, raising £217.

Tara added: "We could not have picked a better day for it. It was sunny and the swell showed up, as if we had manifested the perfect conditions for the event."