Girls Who Surf™ highlights rad female surfers all over the world – exploring their passion for surfing and what it means to them. Meet Andi Zavalla, a surfer based in Melbourne, Florida & listen to her story here.
Hi, my name is Andi and I’m a Girl Who Surfs.
Where are you from and how long have you been surfing?
I’m from Melbourne, Florida. I’ve been surfing for six years, but I don’t count the first year because I just died the whole time.
Why do you surf and what does it mean you?
I surf because it’s when I feel the most free and the most confident surfing is a form of meditation for me. When I’m out in the water, I don’t think about anything else. Living in Florida, surfing has taught me to be really grateful for the present moment. To me, surfing means that I am one with nature and just really connected with the ocean.
Describe your hometown and what it is like being a surfer there.
So, being from Melbourne, I mainly surf Satellite or Melbourne Beach and I love both of those beach towns so much. Most of the year we get pretty consistent surf and we can usually find something out there to catch. Being a surfer where I live, we usually wake up for dawn patrol, check a couple of spots depending on the tide and we’ll try to surf at sunrise. Once the tide gets too high, maybe during midday, we’ll go in for some lunch and just hang out and hopefully the waves will get better again by sunset and we get to surf at sunset.
What is your favorite local surf spot and why?
My favorite local surf spot would definitely be Ocean Avenue in Melbourne Beach. The water is so beautiful there. I’ve just had really great surf sessions where I’m the only one in the water but Florida being sand bottoms, the great breaks change all the time, but that has been the most consistent favorite of mine.
What do you love about your local female surf community?
The first couple of years of surfing, I was definitely really intimidated in the water because it was predominantly men, but since then I’ve met a really great local female surf community, not even just in Central Florida, but also all the way up and down the coast. I love how supportive and accepting they all are. The surf girl groups that I’ve created have just been the best friendships that I could have asked for.
Watch Andi’s full episode below!
