Tofino is really special to me. It’s where I grew up and where my family and all my closest friends live. I love it here because it has so much nature — the most beautiful old-growth forests and a rugged coastline. You’ll get incredible sunrises and sunsets over the mountains and the ocean. It’s where I learned to surf and where all my best memories are.
Tofino makes me feel connected to the world around me. I get to go a little slower and take in every second. I feel close to the people around me and to nature. I love the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks and rolling up the shore. I love the sound of all the birds in the forest. And when I’m out in the boat, I can hear the wind whistling.
I spent much of my childhood playing in the ocean, on the beach and surfing. I spent countless hours with my sister rolling around in the sand, swimming and boogie boarding in the waves, having the best and worst surfs of our lives and working towards our dreams on the ocean.
Growing up in Tofino and on that coastline has 100 per cent made me the person that I am today. It’s where I fell in love with surfing and where I found my passion for the sport. The cold water definitely has shaped me. It is a little harder to motivate yourself to surf in Canada and in colder water, but it also makes it more special. I love the ritual of it — it takes more preparation to go out into the water. When I have my wetsuit on, and my hood, and I’m in my little bubble, that’s definitely when I feel the most myself.