SURFING IS… WITH LARS MERSEBURG
German-born surfer Lars Merseburg would live in the water if he could. “It’s my favorite place,” he says. “I wish I could breathe underwater.” In reality, Merseburg, a former competitive swimmer, splits his time between Montauk, Long Island and New York City, where he runs Imagine Swimming, the school he co-founded with his business partner Casey […]
SURFING IS … WITH GITA DHIR
Raised in Columbia, Maryland by an Indian father and German mother, it’s a surprise that Gita Dhir ever found her way to surfing. Now the sporty, brown-eyed beauty says, “Wherever I can find a wave, if I have a board, I’ll get on it.” Her first attempt at surfing took place in Ocean City, Maryland […]
SURFING IS…WITH CAROLYN DAY
In her mid-twenties, Carolyn Day was pursuing a degree in Clinical Criminology in Montreal, Canada where she co-owned a home brewing store. Then one day, following a major heartbreak, Day – now a stuntwoman based in Los Angeles – woke up and decided to pull the plug on her life as she knew it: she […]
SURFING IS… WITH KURT RIST
Southampton-based surfer Kurt Rist is all about big barrels. During the summer, he runs a surf camp near Water Mill, about 90 miles from New York City. Yet come late fall, the daredevil takes off for northwest Ireland, just in time for the first big swell to hit. His destination of choice is the off-the-beaten […]
SURFING IS…WITH NICK FAIRMAN
Looking for a reprieve from team sports, Florida native Nick Fairman ventured into surfing when he was a teenager. Although raised in Orlando, his love of the ocean didn’t stop at his favorite surf break in New Smyrna Beach. “It’s where I have all my first memories of something so great.” He also traveled to […]
SURFING IS… WITH RICCARDO GHILARDI
Rome-based photographer Riccardo Ghilardi forayed into the world of surfing at a young age, starting in the gentle, relatively flat Mediterranean Sea before venturing far and wide to renowned surf breaks across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Africa and South America. A former fireman in Italy, Ghilardi says he discovered his love of photography through surfing: […]
SURFING IS… WITH THANIYA KEEREEPART
Brooklyn-based surfer Thaniya Keereepart got her first taste of the sport in Morocco during a week-long trip to a tiny town called Tagazhout, which she later learned is one of the top spots to surf in Africa. “I’ve always been fascinated by how surfing intersects between lifestyle, agility, and grace,” says Keereepart, who grew up […]
SURFING IS… WITH EMI KOCH
The 24-year-old California native Emi Koch doesn’t really root herself down physically. “I’m a nomad with an irrational fear of cupboards, closets and chests of drawers,” she says. The young entrepreneur, who started a nonprofit called Beyond the Surface International when she was only 19, first discovered surfing as a toddler. “My father was an ocean […]
SURFING IS… WITH JONNY SWANK
The Canadian-born lover of water Jonny Swank says sand and salt are in his blood. At least that’s what he tells people when they ask about his obsession with water. “Water has, without a doubt, greatly influenced my life’s journey thus far,” says Swank, whose childhood trips to Spain whet his appetite for water sports. […]
SURFING IS… WITH FELIX DESROCHES
The San Francisco-based graphic designer Felix Desroches describes himself as a bit of a “glomad.” Born in Ventura, California, this French Canadian Brit hybrid spent his early years living between Indonesia, Venezuela and Nigeria, followed by stints in Paris, Texas and England, where he studied political science at the University of Warwick. In 2007, he […]
