This Surfer Is Shattering Misconceptions About Melanated Skin & The Sun

“I never saw anyone who looked like me surfing,” says Danielle Black Lyons, a founding member of the Black female surf collective Textured Waves. “Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, there weren’t a lot of Black and brown people in the water. And I think that definitely prohibited me from initially pursuing the sport.” 

Because she didn’t see herself reflected among competitive surfers, Black Lyons looked to Hawaiian athletes for a shared sense of community. “I wanted to feel motivated that this could be something that was possible for me,” she says of finally seeing surfers with darker skin tones that were similar to hers. Inspired to give the sport a shot, she caught her first wave at 19. “I became addicted to surfing from that moment on.” 

Determined to create a more linear path forward for those who, like her, had once questioned whether a future in surfing was possible, Black Lyons co-founded Textured Waves to celebrate Black women who surf. “Sisterly camaraderie is a huge part of our organization,” she says. “Because it is such a male-dominated sport, I think we’re just really big on boosting other women up and supporting each other in and out of the water.” 

For a sport that involves so much time spent outdoors, that kind of support involves prioritizing health and wellness, and encouraging surfers — of all shades of melanin — to keep their skin safe from the sun. Black Lyons, who is “obsessed with traveling and chasing the sun” herself, knows firsthand how important it is to guard her melanin against dangerous rays. She’s developed small white hyperpigmentation spots on her legs from forgetting to reapply SPF while on her board, in addition to freckling on her face from overexposure. “I think it’s a common misconception that Black and brown people are immune from getting sunburned or sun spots or cancer,” she says. “We’re not. All skin tones need protection from the sun.”

To help dispel the myths about keeping skin with melanin safe, Black Lyons is advocating for education on the matter — and she’s starting by sharing her own tried-and-true tips for choosing the right sunscreen. “It’s really important to have a product that you’re going to feel good wearing, because otherwise you’re not going to put it on,” says Black Lyons, whose preferred sunscreen is Coppertone's Every Tone SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion because it feels lightweight, smooth, and familiar (she used Coppertone as a kid). “I would also tell melanated folks to find a sun cream that blends with their skin, so they feel confident and will actually wear it.”

And because Every Tone's innovative cast-less formula blends in clear, Black Lyons doesn’t have to worry about white streaks — in addition to harmful effects from the sun — as she lives her best life along the coast. “It’s really beautiful to be in a warm ocean and not have to wear a wetsuit,” she says, encouraging anyone interested in taking up surfing to “just go for it and take the plunge.” 

Before you do, watch the above episode of Reel Talk, No Shade to find out more about Black Lyons and her work with Textured Waves — and don’t forget to slather on the sunscreen first, no matter your shade.