The way North Shore surfer and videographer Betty Depolito saw it, the women were due.

For years, she had watched surf shows on TV and was frustrated by the fact that most of the featured athletes were men. Women were only there as decoration.

So Depolito turned her lens on a solution.

With the help of pro bodyboarder Leila Alli, who's also a videographer, Depolito created "Wahine Blue," a Hawai'i-based TV show that focuses on female athletes in and around the ocean.

The half-hour show debuted last month on Ocean Network TV (Digital Cable 349). The women have a commitment to produce monthly segments for the next year, and the show is beginning to attract sponsorship.

"Whether I am making money or not, I feel it is worth doing," Depolito said. "It's not about the money. It's about getting surfing girls on TV. The girls just don't have a lot there for them."

Depolito, a "50-something" Waialua resident with more than two decades of experience in television and radio production, was also a professional surfer. She earned the nickname "Banzai Betty" for tackling waves at Waimea Bay and Pipeline.

The ranks of women surfers have increased rapidly in recent years, said Depolito, who has promoted women's surf contests on the North Shore.

"I think there are a lot more girls enjoying water sports and competing, and who own companies and who make decisions," Depolito said. "I think there is enough to keep the show going."

When she left a production job at KHON-TV in June 2006, Depolito started to think seriously about producing her own show. By this summer, she was talking to Ocean Network TV. She got the green light and began shooting video in August for the September premiere.

The first segments of "Wahine Blue" have focused on rising young talent, industry news, "hardcore women who ride the biggest waves" — and Megan Godinez, 16, a longboarder who wants to turn pro. Godinez will be the subject of an ongoing feature called "How'z It Megan."

"She is just a typical girl who grew up in Hawai'i, on Waikiki Beach, who wants to make a name for herself and represent her community," Depolito said. "She's a great girl and a great surfer. I thought it would make a good reality segment."

Production partner Alli, who learned surf video work from Depolito, wants "Wahine Blue" to be more than simply women in the water. She wants to know what they're thinking. It was always a question she asked whenever she saw surf shows.

"For me, I'm a surfer and for me, it was missing," Alli said. "I wanted to hear more of the story. It bothered me. If I wanted more, and I enjoy the pictures, other people who are not surfers would enjoy it even more."

A 35-year-old mother and North Shore resident, Alli handles interviews as well as the beach shots. Depolito handles the water shots. But it's all low-key.

"We are trying to make it look like we have a big camera crew, but it's only us," Alli said. "We complement each other."

Todd Sells, a 40-year-old model, champion bodysurfer and former city lifeguard, is the host of "Wahine Blue." Depolito calls him "our eye candy."

"I think a lot of other shows have fallen into a rut, sort of because it works," said Sells, who lives on the North Shore. "Hopefully, this appeals to someone who wants to see the action and then meet the person who is in the action."

Sells said the women are worth watching. "It's really nice to see the skills and the talent in addition to the cliche beauties in the water," he said.

But for anyone who thinks they're not as fun to watch as the men, Sells recommends the footage in the upcoming second episode: Depolito turned her camera on the Rock Star Games last January and caught women bodyboarders braving 10- to 12-foot waves at Pipeline.

"Any macho guy who doesn't think the girls deserve to be there will eat his words," Sells said. "There are some huge Pipe waves there that not many people could deal with, male or female, and the girls were doing some amazing things."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.