A Grom Christmas with Palm Beach Wahine Surf Club

Palm Beacher Cara Coniglio McClure has established beachy December traditions

Photo by Carrie Bradburn/Capehart
Photo by Carrie Bradburn/Capehart

Palm Beacher Cara Coniglio McClure loves Christmas traditions so much, she started one of her own—one that’s barefoot and sandy, naturally.

“I grew up surfing on the North End,” she shares. “There weren’t many female surfers back then, so paddling into the lineup could feel very intimidating at times. I always craved a real surfer-girl community in Palm Beach.”

When McClure started having children, the surfer-girl gang of her dreams began to materialize around her five daughters (Elle, Selah, Lulu, Noah, and Filomena). Palm Beach Wahine Surf Club organically emerged.

The Palm Beach Wahine Surf Club was started by Cara Coniglio McClure and her daughters. Photo by Carrie Bradburn/Capehart
The Palm Beach Wahine Surf Club was started by Cara Coniglio McClure and her daughters. Photo by Carrie Bradburn/Capehart

The club aims to increase ocean confidence through community and to give back. In 2022, they donated funds to the Palm Beach Fire Department for a custom rescue board. This year, they are working with the Town of Palm Beach United Way to improve educational signage at beach entrances.

The club really took shape when, in the days leading up to her favorite holiday, McClure organized a casual contest, sending invites on a bar of wax (a nod to the old Coconuts tradition).

Palm Beach Wahine Surf Club. Photo by Carrie Bradburn/Capehart
Palm Beach Wahine Surf Club. Photo by Carrie Bradburn/Capehart

“My sister decorated a Christmas tree on the beach, and we had the Beach Boys’ Christmas album playing, swag bags, and Santa even surfed over to hand out gifts to the wahines,” she recalls. “It was one of the best days I have ever experienced in our town.”

McClure has another gathering in the works this month, so keep an eye on social media for updates.

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