When did you start surfing?

When I was 15. I taught myself on my Dad’s 1969 surfboard that he and I refurbished together. We called it “The Beast.” The first place I surfed was in PB at Crystal Pier. The weird thing is that I didn’t see another female surfer during my first five years! The first time I saw another female surfer was in 1999 at El Porto.

Why did you start surfing? 

A German exchange student who was my friend wanted to learn and he convinced me to try it with him. Hooked instantly.

Shortboard or longboard?
 

Both, from 6’6” to 9’6”. But, I do love a 7’0” fun-board. Those rock in all kinds of surf.

Where is your favorite place to surf? 

Blacks Beach. It’s the most beautiful beach in San Diego. It’s also a lot less crowded than other beaches, and the long walk down and up the hill is always a nice bonus-workout! My husband and I feel like we have the place to ourselves when we go.

Who is you favorite shaper?
 

Can I give a shout-out to the past? Hobie Alter, to me, has a special place in my heart. My dad still has his custom 1959 Hobie, and that thing is such a piece of art. Every time I look at it, I think about what surfing in San Diego must have been like when my dad surfed it. I wish I could travel back in time. Seriously.

I like all of my boards, all made by different shapers. My 9’0” Guy Takayama is my favorite longboard ever. But I also love my Jessie Timm classic 9’6” single fin. My 6’6” Rusty Piranha is a blast too. And my Lukas fun-board is pretty nifty. Rob Striker made some fun boards for SDSL in our early years.

What's your favorite aspect about SDSL?
 

The friends, the friends, the friends! The surf trips, especially to Baja (oh, how I lament the loss of frequent Baja trips!). The sharing of knowledge between members is huge, too!!

Has anyone influenced your surfing?
 

All the women of SDSL. Especially Monica Fernandez and Holly Strochine. I’ll never forget one time, years ago, at Azi’s place, Monica was riding a shoulder-high wave and just started cross-stepping. I was like: “Monica! Didn’t know you could do that!” So inspirational at the time. Holly just helped push my surfing to a new level with longboarding. Bill Andrews drilled it into my head that you never, ever, ever, ever surf like you have a leash on; always have your board under control, never jump off. And then there are the really good (older) surfers; you can learn a lot watching those men and women.

Where have you traveled to surf? 

Baja (Cabo, La Fonda, Las Gaviotas, San Quintin), Mainland Mexico, Rincon, Malibu, Oahu, Kauai, Oregon, and Ireland. Ireland was FRICKIN COLD! Haleiwa with SDSL in 2004 was my favorite surf session outside of San Diego. Ah, but so was another session with the Ladies during the Sharing the Stoke Invitational at Rincon two years ago.

Have you surfed competitively? If so, what kind of results?
 

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…Good one. Next Question?

How does surfing affect you? 

Well, I look back on my 15 years of surfing. The years I spent the most amount of time in the water, I was the happiest. The years I surfed inconsistently, not so much. I think spiritually, it cleanses my soul, and gives me positive energy, which opens me up to other positive things in life. I seriously don’t care much about material things when I’m in surf-mode, and that’s the way it should be, huh?

If you were to tell a newbie some advice, what would it be?

Referring back to Bill Andrews’ advice: Ride your surfboard like you don’t have a leash on, try to keep the board under control at all times. Don’t just jump off your surfboard at the end of the wave. And especially don’t rely on your leash if you’re paddling-out on a big day. Ditching your board before a wave crashes on top of you is a big no-no and VERY dangerousundefinedespecially in big surf! If you can’t surf without a leash on, no matter what the conditions, maybe you’ve got some more learning to do. If you don’t get it, try surfing sometime without a leash. After a few swims to shore after your board, you get it very fast.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen or experienced while surfing?
 

The night SDSL went night surfing at La Jolla Shores during red tide. There were so many gigantic fish moving so fast through the waterundefinedit was bizarre. I remember calling out in terror: “Barzee!!!! There’s sh*t following me!”

Then there’s my husband…he’s been hit well over 20 times by stingrays over the course of 5 years. How the heck does that happen??? He had well over 200 sea urchin needles stuck in his feet and legs after one unfortunate session in Cabo. Oh, and then there was the time a baby great white shark bit him at Scripps. Swear to god. Check it out: http://sharkattacksurvivors.com/shark_attack/viewtopic.php?t=735

What's on your iPod?
 

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, Flogging Molly, Rolling Stones, Social Distortion, Jimmy Buffet, Elton John, Sting/The Police, Andre Bocelli, tons and tons of classical music, and tons of bum-shaking music. Gotta shake the booty!