Written by: Aidyn Fischli
Photo by: Kira Caldwell

In April, 56 girls gathered on Masonboro Island for the annual East Coast Girls Campout. Every year, Christian Surfers U.S. (CSUS) hosts regional campouts across the country designed to bring surfers together across state lines and hometowns. The ultimate goal of these campouts is to grow in fellowship as we all walk with Jesus, both in and out of the water.

Kira Caldwell has been a surfer since birth. She grew up in a family of surfers, spending her free time frolicking in the waves of Santa Barbara. But in October of 2023, she and her husband moved to South Carolina, three hours from the nearest beach.

“Being a surfer is who I told myself I was,” says Kira. “I had to reevaluate and detach myself from that being my identity, because I’m so much more than that. Even still, sometimes, I feel like a fish out of water.” 

Kira encountered the CSUS Instagram account a while back when a hometown friend posted about a CS trip she’d gone on. When she saw an announcement about the East Coast Girls Campout taking place only four hours away from her, she knew she had to go. 

“I felt kind of nervous not knowing anyone, but just knowing that I was going to be with people who obviously want to be around each other and the ocean — it was an easy ‘yes,’” says Kira. “I got all this anxiety right when I got to the beach town; I was psyching myself out. But as soon as I pulled up to the little boat dock and those people greeted me, I was like ‘okay, I’m good.’”

As the weekend kicked off, the girls were shuttled over to Masonboro, a barrier island off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. That evening, they surfed together, shared tacos, and listened to a message as they packed in tight next to the fire. 

Afterwards, Kira and a small group of girls stayed up sharing about their personal stories, struggles, and the way God has been moving in their lives. 

“I hadn’t had a good, deep conversation in a long time, and to do that with people I just met, and on the beach, was such an answer to prayer,” she says. “Putting yourself out there is hard, but it is always fruitful when you do.”

Like many of the other girls, Kira left the campout that weekend with new friendships that surpass state lines. 

“To be able to come to something that you can just feel a part of was really sweet,” she says. “You can lose sight of that when you don’t have community. You can just stay in your lane and not even put the effort in. Showing up to an event makes you remember how important it is to just be surrounded by people who can pray for you and listen to you, and that you could pray for them and hear the ways God’s working in other people’s lives.”

To learn more about CS Girls, click here.