By Mariette Papic

“MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME TO BELIEVE IN rock star parking,” she says – and sure enough, Rachel has scored just such a spot. I schlep up the single block from my self-imposed B-star parking space to the corner of Sussex and Ocean to meet up with Rachel McCarthy, a teacher, surfer, activist, and lifeguard from the Jersey Shore. I soon realize that I have much to learn.

We’re in Spring Lake, where Rachel has spent many summers honing her skills, all the while falling ever-deeper in love with the open water. That love has taken her all over the world. I don’t have a beach badge, but Rachel lends me hers, and we quickly slip onto the beach almost unnoticed. At some point, we speak French, then switch back to English. Once we get serious, I start off by confirming that she is, indeed, a self-identified Jersey Girl.

BORN IN MASSACHUSETTS, Rachel grew up in Manasquan, where she embraced surfing as a way to fit into the Jersey Shore world and make it her home. Now, at 29, she gives back to that world by donating her time.

The day I first met Rachel she was part of a group giving free surf lessons in Asbury Park, at a family day sponsored by the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. In partnership with the Asbury Park Surf Club and Summertime Surf School, they offer kids from the Boys and Girls Club a chance to try out a sport whose associated costs sometimes make it feel out of reach.

I ASK HER QUESTIONS for a while as we both draw swirls in the sand. It’s Sunday, warm and sunny, with hardly a cloud in the sky. From the group of girls in their sports hijabs swimming nearby to the other surfers taking the short but plentiful waves, there is a feeling of a world suspended, one held together only by saltwater and light. It’s an “endless summer” kind of afternoon. Before it’s over, we’ll both take a dip in the cool waters, pausing our talk for the hum of the break and the undertow. Later still, Rachel will take off on her board for some time with the waves, while I run home to cool off the cameras and rid them of sand.

“WHEN I THINK OF JERSEY Girls, I don’t have one thing that comes to mind…but there is love, and fun. It’s that playful spirit. I also think that there’s an attitude, a confidence. I think of when I worked here; our captain was a woman. So it’s fun, and tough…but there’s a lot of caring there, too. And that’s how I think of my mom; she’s a tough lady, but she’s the most generous, loving lady, and she’s fun. So I think Jersey Girls – they’re strong.”

Tell me about your organization.  “I’ve started a group, New Jersey Water Women. It’s a meet-up for women with a shared love of watery play – a space for community, connection, and good vibes by the water. You don’t have to surf to join.”

You do beach clean-ups together – what else?

“I’ve taken some girls out surfing, for example, and they’ve taken me out sailing, so I’ve actually been learning to sail a lot now. But through these meet-ups, we can talk about swell forecasting and how to read the waves based on what happens in Jersey. I’d like to organize some other things, too – maybe a book club.”

Rachel’s Top NJ Surf Spots

• Spring Lake
• Long Branch
• Sandy Hook

Rachel’s Top Global Surf Spots

• Nicaragua
• Senegal
• Philippines

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MARIETTE PAPIC is a New Jersey native, born in Newark. The daughter of immigrants from the Croatian coast, she was introduced to the Jersey Shore at a young age. After a long stint in Brooklyn, she has made her way back to the Garden State. Mariette is the author of numerous essays, poetry, and the book The Digital Nomad Manifesto. You can keep up with her work at thunderandstars.com.