The Pressure Beneath the Surface

Read Time:6 Minute, 16 Second

TV SERIES REVIEW
Surf Girls: International
TV-Y7 –

Genre: Documentary, Sports
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 5 x 45m episodes
Where to Watch: coming to Prime Video July 17, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: SURF GIRLS: INTERNATIONAL rides the wave left behind by SURF GIRLS: HAWAI’I, expanding its view from the shores of Oʻahu to the larger stage of professional surfing. But this isn’t just a bigger playground—it’s a deeper dive. The five-part Prime Video docuseries follows returning standout Ewe Wong and four new competitors—Sophia Medina, Kika Veselko, Jessie Van Niekerk, and Sol Aguirre—as they navigate the grueling Challenger Series circuit. What we explore isn’t merely a travelogue of surf destinations, but a high-stakes portrait of ambition, resilience, and the complicated cost of chasing greatness.

Produced by Hello Sunshine and TOGETHXR, with a packed roster of executive producers that includes Reese Witherspoon and Monica Medellin, this season is crafted to maintain the empowering spirit of its predecessor while ramping up the pressure. The stakes here are global. Each of the five surfers represents a different country and culture, and their varied paths to this moment offer the show its emotional backbone. These are not just athletes in competition—they’re women juggling finances, sacrifice, physical setbacks, and the immense mental toll of elite sports.

Wong, the native Hawaiian who left a lasting impression in the original series, remains a steadfast presence. Without her local crew from Hawai’i by her side this time around, she has to build a support system on the road. There’s a maturity to her arc this season—she's no longer the breakout, she's the returnee trying to cement her spot. In Ballito Break, the first episode, she becomes something of a quiet leader, forming new connections while quietly battling self-doubt. Her consistency in performance and presence makes her a strong through-line, but the show allows her vulnerability to shine through in moments of personal uncertainty.

Sophia Medina, a Brazilian surfer with a deep family legacy in the sport, emerges as one of the more complex identities in the series. Her narrative centers on pressure—internal, cultural, generational—and her storyline takes a dramatic turn when she suffers an injury. Instead of sidelining her, the injury becomes a pivotal plot point. By the time of the Huntington Beach Showdown, she’s not just recovering physically, but also working through what it means to push forward when her body wants to shut down. Her ability to channel pain into performance is compelling, and her eventual run into the finals feels earned, not scripted.

Kika Veselko’s story stands out for its rawness. The Portuguese surfer carries herself with laser focus, but the show captures the emotional undercurrent beneath her discipline. During the Power of Portugal episode, her home-country performance becomes a moment of reckoning. It’s not just about rankings—it’s about proving something. Her relationship with her father, who appears briefly, adds a layer of intimacy to her otherwise outwardly driven persona. Of all the surfers, Kika’s journey feels the most tethered to the idea of expectation vs. reality—what happens when success starts to feel like survival.

Then there’s Jessie Van Niekerk from South Africa, a ball of energy and optimism whose backstory quietly carries the heaviest burden. The series reveals how much her family gave up to support her dream, and Jessie’s demeanor becomes a kind of armor. That contrast—her outward exuberance against inner pressure—gives her scenes an emotional resonance. In Portugal to Brazil: The Last Leg, the financial strain she faces is not treated as background noise but as a central conflict. That honesty makes her one of the most relatable figures this season.

Sol Aguirre, a 2024 Olympian representing Peru, is positioned as the wild card. She arrives with talent and accolades, but her struggle isn’t physical—it’s psychological. Her arc is centered on regaining confidence after a disappointing Olympic result, and the show doesn’t shy away from showing the mental reset required to stay competitive. Her shift from frustration to focus across episodes three and four adds a redemptive angle that’s less about winning and more about reclaiming joy in the sport.

The show doesn’t get lost in surfing jargon either. The sport’s technical aspects are explained with clarity, allowing casual viewers to stay engaged, while fans of the sport will appreciate the subtle breakdowns of strategy and style. The focus remains where it should: on the women and their battle to stay afloat in a fiercely competitive environment. One of the show’s quiet triumphs is its handling of failure. Not every surfer makes it through to the World Tour. Not every performance is a highlight reel. And SURF GIRLS: INTERNATIONAL refuses to filter out the reality that sometimes, effort isn’t enough. Its most compelling moments often come when expectations aren’t met—when an injury flares up, a flight is missed, or a mental spiral threatens to undo months of training. It’s here that the show finds its humanity.

SURF GIRLS: INTERNATIONAL sticks the landing. It captures not only the physical demands of the Challenger Series but also the psychological stakes of carving out space in a male-dominated sport. It’s a story about grit, but also about the communities we build to endure pressure. For a docuseries built around competition, it has a surprisingly generous heart.

There’s no need to have seen SURF GIRLS: HAWAI’I to appreciate what this new chapter brings, but for those who did, this continuation offers a satisfying next wave. It widens the scope, raises the stakes, and stays true to what made the original so resonant: its empathy, its energy, and its refusal to flatten its subjects into archetypes.

Whether you’re a surfer or someone who just enjoys well-told stories about young women navigating uncertain paths, SURF GIRLS: INTERNATIONAL deserves your time. These five athletes are chasing more than rankings—they’re redefining what it means to belong on the world stage.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of HELLO SUNSHINE, TOGETHXR]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support in navigating these links.