Speaker 1: Oh, hello, welcome to Healthy Ish. Thanks for joining us
Speaker 1: on this daily podcast from Body and Soul. I'm your
Speaker 1: host Felicity Hally. Today's guest is pretty freaking inspiring. In fact,
Speaker 1: she just set a world record for the biggest paddle
Speaker 1: waved ever served by a woman. Pretty impressive, right. It
Speaker 1: is Australian pro serfer Laura en of Us. She joins
Speaker 1: us in the studio to discuss what it takes to
Speaker 1: get her body and mind ready to ride the massive waves.
Speaker 1: Make sure you're listening to our sister pod, Extra Healthy Ish,
Speaker 1: where she shares more about how she embraces fear she
Speaker 1: leans into it. Oh that is also a very inspiring chat. Alurrah,
Speaker 1: Welcome to Healthy Ish.
Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1: Felicity, Oh, nice to do well be here after you
Speaker 1: just stepped off a plane.
Speaker 2: I know, I was just saying to you, I'm just like,
Speaker 2: thank you God.
Speaker 3: The jet lag from Europe is like you're up early
Speaker 3: and buzzing in the morning and you know, crash by
Speaker 3: like four pm. So I'm buzzing because usually I feel
Speaker 3: like I'm quite It takes me a while to get
Speaker 3: up in the morning, which is surprising being a surfer.
Speaker 1: That is yes, very surprising to hear. Now you would
Speaker 1: just crowned Female Surfer of the Year at the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty four Surf A Big Wave Challenge Awards. I mean,
Speaker 1: congratulations they tell us the story behind this award.
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, I actually kind of even believe it. Honestly.
Speaker 3: It's been such a wild journey and I feel like,
Speaker 3: you know, at the start of my career, if someone
Speaker 3: had told me, you know, you do seven years on
Speaker 3: the World Tour and then leave it all and go
Speaker 3: be a big wave surfer and just then, you know,
Speaker 3: break a world record for the biggest way paddled and
Speaker 3: then when Surf of the Year, I just would be like,
Speaker 3: you're joking like this, I don't know, There's just no way.
Speaker 2: I think. It's just it. You know.
Speaker 3: It makes me really proud just seeing how far I've
Speaker 3: come and just as I've believed in myself as I've
Speaker 3: been on this journey, just kind of what doors have
Speaker 3: opened up and what I've been able to, like, what
Speaker 3: goal I've been able to Just I don't know, I
Speaker 3: feel like I never thought I was going to surf
Speaker 3: these types of waves.
Speaker 2: I thought I was going to surf like kind of
Speaker 2: semi big waves, but then.
Speaker 1: It's just when we talk about a big wave, what, yeah,
Speaker 1: size is that And you were the first woman to
Speaker 1: do it, to paddle in.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well not not the first woman to paddle in,
Speaker 3: but just like I was. It's just the biggest measured
Speaker 3: wave that's been paddled in by a woman. But there's
Speaker 3: been amazing big waves like female surfers in the past
Speaker 3: that have, you know, especially in Hawaii. You know, it's
Speaker 3: kind of the birthplace of big wave surfing, and there's
Speaker 3: always been amazing how big it was the one you did,
Speaker 3: So the wave that I paddled into was forty three
Speaker 3: point six feet tall or thirteen point three meters, So
Speaker 3: it's like, yeah, it was just it was a monster.
Speaker 3: It was so it was so massive, and I was yeah,
Speaker 3: out that that day with my good friend full Listy
Speaker 3: Palmitive had on and yeah, I think, oh she was there, Yeah,
Speaker 3: she was out there with me that day. We've we've
Speaker 3: decided to sort of team up and just really like
Speaker 3: go on this big wave journey together, which has been
Speaker 3: amazing because you know, it's such a male dominated sport
Speaker 3: and for so many years, I literally just felt like
Speaker 3: I had imposter syndrome, like around these men just being like, gosh,
Speaker 3: I definitely don't have like your muscle legs or like
Speaker 3: I don't have you know, Like it was just easy
Speaker 3: for me to feel like I wasn't strong enough to
Speaker 3: be in this world. And I think, yeah, the last
Speaker 3: few years has just made me realize that I can,
Speaker 3: like I don't need to be look a certain way
Speaker 3: to be able to catch these waves and do it.
Speaker 2: It's yeah, so it's been really cool.
Speaker 1: What does it take to write a big wave in
Speaker 1: terms of physically, I mean, you just said you don't
Speaker 1: feel as strong enough as the men, but you are totally.
Speaker 3: And I've always been a strong paddler, Like I used
Speaker 3: to do nippers when I was a kid, and I
Speaker 3: used to go to State Titles and Aussies for paddling,
Speaker 3: and so I feel like I've always been a confident paddler.
Speaker 3: And I think when you're out in these big waves
Speaker 3: and you're using literally your two arms to get into
Speaker 3: the wave, it's all about positioning, timing, and you know
Speaker 3: how quickly and well you can paddling to these waves.
Speaker 3: And I think that's where I found my strength in
Speaker 3: knowing that I'm a confident paddler, and just when you're
Speaker 3: out there, you know you're out in mother nature, and
Speaker 3: you don't know when these waves are going to come.
Speaker 3: You only just have these people that are like one
Speaker 3: hundred or so meters away in a boat whistling when
Speaker 3: there's like a massive set looming you can't see if
Speaker 3: you can't see these lumps, but sometimes you can't really tell.
Speaker 3: You'll see them at last minute. You start scratching out
Speaker 3: the back and it's all about positioning, positioning yourself in
Speaker 3: this huge lineup, and you've got these waves that have
Speaker 3: been generated by a storm, like thousands of cormeters away
Speaker 3: that have just that have marching through, and so you
Speaker 3: have to paddle as fast as that wave is moving
Speaker 3: to get into it.
Speaker 2: And that's the hardest part.
Speaker 3: You probably try to paddle for about fifty waves like
Speaker 3: more the whole session. Like you could be out there
Speaker 3: for four hours and not catch a wave.
Speaker 1: But when you were paddling into the big one, yeah,
Speaker 1: did you appreciate that it was so big? Or did you?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Where was your mindset at?
Speaker 3: So basically that session, me and me and my friend
Speaker 3: Flick had been We've been out there for an hour
Speaker 3: and a half, right, And sometimes you're out in these
Speaker 3: big wave sessions for like hours and hours, like even
Speaker 3: half a day, and you might not even catch a
Speaker 3: wave because you're kind of like playing cat and mouse
Speaker 3: trying not to get one like break on your head,
Speaker 3: like trying to not be too far in and not
Speaker 3: be too far out, just.
Speaker 2: In the perfect spot.
Speaker 3: And I had kind of positioned myself a bit away
Speaker 3: from the crowd and just just how this like feeling
Speaker 3: like just be like I just feel like I need
Speaker 3: to sit over there. And then I've paddled over there,
Speaker 3: and I swear it was like ten minutes later this
Speaker 3: wave just popped up and it was it was.
Speaker 2: The biggest wave that I had seen that day, but
Speaker 2: it was it.
Speaker 3: Just felt like I was in the perfect spot for it,
Speaker 3: and I literally just went and like go turn around.
Speaker 3: I was in such a perfect position that I only
Speaker 3: had to take two paddles and I felt it pick
Speaker 3: me up and I could just ride down the face
Speaker 3: of it. And everyone else was a bit further in,
Speaker 3: so they were scratching over it to not get caught out.
Speaker 2: What emotions were you feeling, Oh, it's just.
Speaker 3: I just remember thinking like go and just like, do
Speaker 3: not hold back. And then when I took off and
Speaker 3: got to my feet, I looked down and just remember thinking,
Speaker 3: this is the biggest wave I've ever been on for
Speaker 3: absolutely sure.
Speaker 2: Were you scared or were you were you more?
Speaker 1: Was it more exhilarating or what it was?
Speaker 2: It was scary.
Speaker 3: But I think all the fear in big wave serving,
Speaker 3: I think comes, you know, like all around to the waves.
Speaker 3: But then when you decide to go on the wave,
Speaker 3: like the only thing you can think about is committing
Speaker 3: to it. And if you have any other like fear
Speaker 3: or thought like or doubt, it's just you know, that's
Speaker 3: when I don't know, you just need to commit. And
Speaker 3: so I was like, you're going commit, and I was
Speaker 3: just I remember looking down the face of this wave
Speaker 3: and just like saying to myself, make it to the
Speaker 3: bottom of this thing.
Speaker 2: And I made it to the bottom, and I.
Speaker 3: Remember looking up and seeing this huge like it was
Speaker 3: like a apartment building when you yes.
Speaker 1: So when it so, does it come crashing over?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: So it actually came and crashed and it landed like
Speaker 3: behind me, and I ended up getting sort of exploded
Speaker 3: out and upwards. But yeah, in big wave surfing, it's
Speaker 3: kind of you know, it's all about making that drop
Speaker 3: and get into the bottom and you've you've ridden the wave,
Speaker 3: and so yeah, like the Guinness World Records and WSL
Speaker 3: they yeah, I said that that was. They acknowledged it
Speaker 3: and said that was the biggest wave written by a woman,
Speaker 3: So yeah, it was.
Speaker 2: It was pretty awesome. And the funniest thing about that story.
Speaker 3: Is that same day there was a huge big like event.
Speaker 3: I was in Hawaii and the Eddie IKW event, which
Speaker 3: is like one of the most prestigious big wave events,
Speaker 3: was happening like two commonters away. Why I was ulternate
Speaker 3: that day, so they told me to come and stay
Speaker 3: and stay on the beach and I was like, you
Speaker 3: know what, I don't want to sit on the beach
Speaker 3: and wait for someone to get hurt. I'm going to
Speaker 3: I was like, this is perfect. Like the conditions that
Speaker 3: day it was like the biggest best swell in like
Speaker 3: a decade. They think with no wind, So I don't know.
Speaker 3: For me, I just feel like, if I was going
Speaker 3: to catch the best way of my life, you need
Speaker 3: no wind because you're not It's just another element you
Speaker 3: don't have to battle yep, And so.
Speaker 2: I was like, I'm going surfing.
Speaker 3: And then so I caught this wave and didn't think
Speaker 3: anyone saw it.
Speaker 2: I wentnie and I was just buzzying.
Speaker 3: I saw some friends on the beach and I was like,
Speaker 3: I just didn't think anyone even saw this wave and
Speaker 3: or even took a foot photograph. And then four days
Speaker 3: later I got an Instagram message from a photographer who
Speaker 3: was like, I shot your wave, and I was like,
Speaker 3: oh my gosh, that's so cool.
Speaker 2: I'd love to see it.
Speaker 3: And he sent me the photo and just wrote underneath it,
Speaker 3: I think this is the biggest wave ever surfed by
Speaker 3: a woman, I ever paddled into by a woman. And yeah,
Speaker 3: I was just like, oh my gosh. I saw the
Speaker 3: photo and I couldn't believe it was me.
Speaker 2: I was just like this little speck with this huge
Speaker 2: wave behind me.
Speaker 3: Portugal next, Yeah, I mean, I'd loved I just got
Speaker 3: home from Portugal from the awards over there, and yeah,
Speaker 3: I'd love to I'd love to try surf Nazarei one day.
Speaker 3: It's it's its own beast, and it's a different type
Speaker 3: of surfing. It's toe surfing, like the pinnacle. I think
Speaker 3: Nazaree is the pinnacle. It's it's all mostly about toe
Speaker 3: surfing there, so you need a team, you need a
Speaker 3: jet ski to get in. But you and I think,
Speaker 3: you know, you've got to learn a lot more about
Speaker 3: that team tactic of having the jet skis. And I
Speaker 3: think if you've got to get a hole down there,
Speaker 3: it's going to be pretty gnarly because you can get
Speaker 3: washed into the rocks. So yeah, there's a lot of
Speaker 3: things about Nazaree that definitely scare the crap out of me.
Speaker 1: But for me that I especially think for you, you'll do
Speaker 1: it anyway.
Speaker 3: I know, Yeah, I think yeah, me and me and
Speaker 3: Flick Wi tried. We want to do it for sure together.
Speaker 3: But yeah, my main goal is still to get back
Speaker 3: to Hawaii. And now I'm invited into that event, the
Speaker 3: Eddiik event, and I'm not an alternate anymore. I'm like
Speaker 3: properly in the event, and so I'm just like just
Speaker 3: hoping that it gets to gets to run this year.
Speaker 3: They have to wait for a big enough swell like
Speaker 3: that last one, and sometimes it takes like a few
Speaker 3: years for that to come. So I'm just like, I
Speaker 3: hope this year.
Speaker 2: Is the year.
Speaker 1: Enjoy all the fanfare from your big win and thank
Speaker 1: you for coming on.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Felicity.
Speaker 1: I'd just like to add that Laurie is so petite,
Speaker 1: and when she was talking about, you know, paddling in
Speaker 1: her arms and dropping into this biggest wave, I just thought, Wow. Yeah. Anyway,
Speaker 1: I hope you got a lot out of this chat.
Speaker 1: I sure did. I found her incredibly inspiring and hey,
Speaker 1: nothing's too small for Laura. Anyway. If you did enjoy this,
Speaker 1: tell Us rate and review this episode, subscribed to this
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Speaker 1: upcoming up something before Christmas, someone you would like to
Speaker 1: hear from, just dm me at Felicity Harley. Across social media,
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Speaker 1: and stay healthy ish