What is your greatest attribute as a surfer?
Fearlessness. I always looked up to my bigger brothers, they’re 6 and 8 years older than me, If they went into the bigger surf, I wanted to go. It’s always a big adrenaline rush when you drop into a big wave,
Do you have a favorite career moment?
My first pro event in Coco Beach, Fl. I went out with friends and was supposed to surf in an amateur event, but my coach told me I was good enough to surf in the pro event. I was really scared; I had paid all this money to go. It took me an hour to decide. I entered the pro event and won my first heat. I was so stoked! I got through second heat, got into the finals. I was happy. But I had a great final and won. It’s an incredible experience to be inside a wave and hear people cheering for you from the shore.
If I weren’t a surfer...
I would probably be an accountant. That’s what I was studying. In accounting, everything has its place. I kind of like that.
