It’s not an easy job combining style and safety but local surfer Laura Lucas’ newest project is riding a wave to success.
SurfShell surf hats were designed by Laura to protect heads from flying surfboards or other potential surf collisions, and even better, they look epic too.
Ironically, she arrives at our meeting nursing a fresh surf injury, thankfully not to the head, but she suffered a gash from a surfboard fin to the back of her thigh, which required seven stitches at Raglan Medical.
“I was at Manu Bay; it was quite busy and I was just getting my last wave in. A young guy tried to duck dive into the wave in front of where I was riding and his board slipped out from under his grip, knocked me off, and as I was coming down it flipped up again and whacked me in the back of the thigh. I could definitely feel the fin go into my flesh, and I knew it was bad,” she says.
It’s not her only close call on the waves with her fin nearly amputating her big toe last year. But it was when a close friend needed fourteen stitches after her board struck her in the head during a wipeout that made Laura start seriously thinking about the risks in her favourite sport.
“She had concussion symptoms and it took a long time for her to get back in the water — overcoming fear, regaining confidence, and simply feeling okay enough to surf again. That, along with several other incidents, made me realise we quickly needed something to protect us more out there.”
After two years of intense product research, Laura and her business partner and fiancé Todd Cairns officially launched SurfShell this year on Valentines Day. The adult sizes sold out within a week.
“We’re really lucky to have social media as a tool to get the word out. I’m friends with some incredible surf photographers, who are wonderful with spreading the word on their social media and in person. Honestly my entire surf community has been amazing at spreading the word. There’s a real buzz surrounding it, which is so awesome,” she says.
Laura has covered all the bases with a SurfShell surf hat; it doubles as a bump and gash protective cap as well as providing protection from the sun. It’s also lightweight and comfortable, and all the materials are water and UV resistant, and with the added bonus of looking incredibly stylish in eye-catching colours.
“We didn’t want something cumbersome that would get in the way. We wanted it to be something you’d actually want to wear every time you surf,” Laura says.
She also hopes the appearance, wearability and practicality of the SurfShell helmet will help make it more widely accepted in the surfing community. The idea has received nothing but positive support so far.
“Like with snowboarding and skiing, no one used to wear helmets, and now you don’t really see anyone without one. And we’re starting to get encouraging comments from people out in the surf when they see our hats.”
Hitting the waves to test the sample surf hats wasn’t a tough chore for a passionate surfer like Laura and she knows firsthand they work after taking a knock to the head when the wind flipped her board.
“It wasn’t intentional, but I was the crash test dummy,” she laughs. “It gave me a real fright and if I wasn’t wearing the helmet, I would definitely have a gash or serious bruise.”
SurfShell isn’t Laura’s first foray into starting up a business. In 2017, Milkbar was born when she swapped her police uniform for maternity wear and developed a line of maternity and breastfeeding clothing for mums as well as a breast pump that mimicked a baby nursing.
The success of Milkbar allowed Laura and Todd to leave their police careers and move to Raglan. With their own business, they found a better work-life balance while raising their growing family.
Having one successful start-up has helped ease the way for SurfShell and, like her work with the police, both businesses are geared towards helping her community.
“Milkbar is supporting women on their maternity and breastfeeding journey, and now with SurfShell, we’re helping people reduce and prevent head injuries in the water, which feels pretty special. Having a purpose behind the business I start is really important to me,”
SurfShell surf hats can be found online at surf-shell.com, or in-store at Raglan Surf Co and Backdoor Hamilton, Mt Maunganui and Takapuna.
by Janine Jackson
