I have always loved being in the ocean. As a toddler, I swam before I walked. My dad was a Navy Seal and would take me bodysurfing, on his back, near our home in Kailua, Hawaii, where I now live again, one block from the water.
When I was growing up in the 80s, surfing was considered a boys’ pursuit. I was jealous of them with their boogie boards and surfboards. When I was 12, a family friend gave me their board. As far as I know, I was the first girl on this side of the island to surf. It was glorious, even though people often told me I didn’t belong out there.
