Alana Blanchard The pro surfing superstar will travel anywhere for a perfect wave

     People who love surfing swear by its therapeutic healing powers. After a tough day, some time on the waves are all that’s needed to melt your troubles away. But what does a surfer do when they have a bad day at the office? “Actually, we still surf,” says Alana Blanchard. “It’s like meditation, sitting there by yourself. You’re out there with the ocean. It’s an incredible place to be.
     As a professional surfer age 23, Blanchard has already seen plenty of amazing places to be—the coast of Sri Lanka, the shores of Peru. “I’ve been able to travel to so many places that I never would have visited had I not been a pro surfer,” Blanchard says. “Growing up in Kauai (Hawaii), it’s a very small place.  You can see the whole island very quickly. So to be able to travel and see these beautiful places has been a dream.”
    Surfing has been part of Blanchard’s life as far as she can remember. “When I was four years old, my dad started taking me out on the board,” she says. “You have to realize, Kauai is a very small place surrounded by water. There’s not a lot to do here.”
    By age nine, Blanchard was surfing competitively. “It was so much fun,” she remembers. “It felt more fun than competitive. I was out there with all of my friends. We got to win prizes. It wasn’t crazy. They definitely wouldn’t put you in any dangerous situations or anything like that.”
    On the fast track to surfing success, Blanchard began modeling for surf companies at age 15. “When I did my first shoot for Rip Curl, I was stoked,” Blanchard says. “I didn’t even know I could be a model. I would fly to California every two months to do a different shoot.  At first, I had a love/hate relationship with modeling. It was much harder than people make it out to be. I would be so self-conscious of how I looked. And then you see the photos and they look great, and it was all worth it.”
    Blanchard has also begun to design some of her bikinis with Rip Curl. “Here on Kauai, all the girls just wear bikinis. Rip Curl was like, ‘We’re going to design some new ones for you that you’re going to love.’ They’ve let me have some input in the design. This year’s line is doing really well. I wear them everywhere. I can see myself working on new lines with Rip Curl after I’m done surfing. It’s been an amazing opportunity. I can’t complain about my life.”