Mirian by Emy Dossett
I first noticed Mirian’s graceful style when I was out photographing early one morning in Sayulita. She glided past me on her beautiful turquoise board, dancing around in the waves. I immediately became mesmerised with capturing her in the glistening sun as it bounced around her.
As time went on, I got to know Mirian and her sweet lovely self mostly because of her help in the surf. Before I arrived in Mexico, I only surfed short boards. So when I was first learning to longboard, she would catch waves with me, cruising along beside me, telling me what to do. Her style and kindness in the waves made me curious about the story behind the beauty that graciously glides through my photos.
I think the most amazing part of Mirian’s story is before she moved to Sayulita 6 years ago, she’d never swam in the ocean, or seen a beach. She didn’t know how to swim. For someone who now has such a graceful presence in the waves, it’s pretty impressive.
Mirian moved here from Guerrero when she was 18 and started working at one of the local surf shops. It’s here where the guys would hassle her every day to give surfing a go. She was scared of the ocean but eventually decided to try paddle boarding. From there, she moved onto surfing. When I asked her why she surfed, her words were simple yet so true, something I feel we all share when we’re in the waves:
‘Cuando estoy en el agua siempre estoy feliz y como me siento diferente nunca estoy pensando nada. Solo estoy mirando las olas y me gusta más en la mañana por el amanecer. La Luz es muy bonita. Me siento más confiado y siento que puedo hacerlo, porque a veces si vas por él, te puede gustar mucho.’
‘When I'm in the water I'm always happy and as I feel different I'm never thinking anything. I'm just looking at the waves and I like it more in the morning by sunrise. The light is very pretty. I feel more confident and feel like I can do it, because sometimes if you go for it, you might really like it.’
Mirian’s insta @venturemirian
Emy
