A PENINSULA surfer mum has made waves on the national stage after claiming top spot in the over-40s women’s division at this year’s Australian Longboard Titles final.
Eglantine (Tina) Balland, 41, beamed with pride after securing the title at Cabarita Beach in NSW on 25 July.
A life-long lover of the ocean and mother of one, Tina described the win as the “happiest moment of my entire sporting life” and a big comeback to the sport.
“A few years ago, I nearly died from a severe pneumonia. I eventually recovered but I was left with very damaged lungs,” she said.
“In 2023, I had lung surgery which helped me to breathe a bit better but also significantly reduced my lung capacity.
“I made a return to competitive surfing in 2024, questioning if I could still do it, and obtained my first state champion title the same year.”
Tina has been a member of the Maladiction Longborders on the peninsula since 2016 and was the club’s past president from 2018–2020.
By day, she is a biomedical research scientist working on cancer at Monash University.
“Being a mum and a full-time researcher doesn’t allow me to live on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula unfortunately, but living in Carrum allows me to be located between work and surf and also being part of a lovely local community too,” she said.
“I have a feeling of belonging to the Mornington Peninsula community through my relationship with the club, the surf spots (my happy places), and the surf community of the Ninch.”
Tina came from a windsurfing background 25 years ago as a teenager in France before she found her passion in surfing “that brought me to Australia” in 2013.
She counted herself lucky with surfing on the peninsula with sand and rocky bottoms in different directions, “creating a multitude of options for diverse swell and wind conditions”.
Now back at the top of her game after her health scare, Tina said the title win was “very special” and hoped it would “inspire people to never give up and remain confident no matter what”.
“My health journey taught me inestimable things and it’s a big part of this win – and equally important, the support and love from my family and friends and the surf community including Maladiction Longboarders and team Victoria.
“I feel incredibly grateful to receive so much support from loving and inspiring people.”
Winners of the open men’s and women’s divisions earn a spot in the Australian surfing team “The Irukandjis” for next year’s International Surfing Association World Longboard Championship.
First published in the Mornington News – 5 August 2025
