Title wave

A spurt of how-to books attests to surfing’s rising popularity among girls in the wake of the 2002 film “Blue Crush” (wherein, ironically, a bikini- and wig-wearing pro surfer named Noah Johnson surfed Pipeline as a double for Kate Bosworth). Four paperbacks -- “Surf Like a Girl,” “Surf Diva,” “Surf’s Up: The Girl’s Guide to Surfing” and “Surfer Girl” (due out soon) -- are all penned by women and largely duplicate the tips already found in unisex guides, including water etiquette, safety, surf history and slang. Still, the male authors of those manuals apparently left out a few essentials. Consider these excerpts from “Surf Like a Girl” and “Surf’s Up.”

Pamm Higgins

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“Pedicures won’t last long for the surfer girl; and since the sand is so abrasive, it will take the shine off your perfectly painted toes. For a long-lasting pedicure, wearing booties will keep your polish in place.”

“Surfing in just a bikini -- no rash guard, no board shorts -- is one of the best feelings known to woman. But there’s a reason you don’t see every surfer girl out there in a triangle top and bottom.... If your butt hits the wave, you get an instant thong.”

“Do you really need to wear makeup while surfing? I think not. Besides the fact that you are in water, and everything would wash off, your huge smile will be enough to get the boys’ attention.”

“Does my butt look big in this wetsuit?... Sure, wetsuits are more revealing than anything you’d generally wear in public, but at least they’re in slimming black!”

“There is no conclusive evidence that menstrual blood attracts sharks, according to the International Shark Attack File.”

“If you can’t physically get to surf, go there mentally.... How about taking a bath, reading your recent issue of SG magazine, lighting some plumeria-scented candles and pretending you are in Hawaii?”