Las Olas surf instructor Kristy Murphy was practically raised in the water while growing up in Jupiter, Florida, but only started surfing in 2000. With a very short learning curve, she rose to the top of women’s surfing, winning the East Coast Longboard Championship in 2001 and the Women’s World Longboard Championship in October 2005. Please join Las Olas founder Bev Sanders as she talks with Kristy about her passion for surfing.

Bev: How would you describe catching and riding a wave to someone who has not surfed before?

Kristy: It’s like a magic carpet ride! You feel like you’re floating over the surface of the water, and moving on a wave like that is so awesome. You just lose track of time and all you hear is the swooshing of the water and the wave, and it’s this perfect zen feeling, flying over the surface of the water like you’re on a little magic carpet. You lose all sense of everything else and it’s all about you and riding the energy of the ocean.

Bev: What things should women do to get in shape for surfing?

Kristy: Swimming in a pool is a great exercise. If you have access to a boogie board, you can lay on it and start paddling in the pool or in the ocean. It’s  the same feeling as paddling a surfboard, using your arms more than your legs to simulate the paddling feeling and motion. And things like yoga and Pilates are great for strengthening your core and helping with balance, stability and flexibility. Those are great ways to train for surfing.

Bev: So now you’ve got a new surfer ready to paddle out. How do you prepare her for her first session?

Kristy: Before we even touch the water, the first thing we do is talk about safety — the surfboards and other equipment we’ll be using, what’s happening out in the water, the waves and the conditions, and the particular break we’ll be surfing. We talk about surf etiquette (the unwritten rules of surfing) because there are other people, other surfers out there in the water, and that ties into being safe. We want to keep safety a priority. It’s a little bit easier to grasp once you’re in the water, but these are all things we talk about before we even hit the water. Once it’s all happening, then she can remember what we discussed on land.

Next we go over how to stand up or ‘pop up’ on your board before we get in the water and head out to the waves. We’ll practice doing some pop-ups right there on the beach.

Kristy will lead a Las Olas safari at her Baja location in June 2009.  Share the fun, bonding, and empowerment of a Las Olas safari with Kristy. Click here for more information »

Bev: Is surfing as fun as it looks right off the bat, or is there a learning curve before it becomes fun?

Kristy: I think every aspect of it is fun. Even though it seems hard, everything is so exciting  — learning to get through the whitewater, or just learning how to paddle and focus on paddling without even catching a wave — that can all be fun. Most people I see out in the water are having fun right from the start.

And even though it’s a challenge, that’s part of what makes surfing so great; it’s a never-ending challenge, just as challenging ten years down the road as it is when you start. It’s never boring and there’s always something new to learn. As long as you like the ocean and being outdoors, I think you find it’s fun every step of the way.

Bev: It sounds like that life lesson we all hear and learn eventually, that it’s not the destination, it’s the journey, the steps along the way, that make something truly enjoyable?

Kristy: Yep that’s it. Exactly. Totally.

Bev: On a personal note, what drew YOU to surfing?

Kristy: I guess just growing up near the water and doing many other sports in the water, at some point it was like “Gosh, I’ve got to surf, that looks awesome!” I was so close to surfing so many times — I was boogie boarding for years, and we’d go ‘skurfing’ behind the boat, basically just being pulled behind a boat on a surfboard. I watched my brother and all his friends surf and it was a little intimidating because there weren’t a lot of girls out there, but finally I was just like “Ah screw it, I’m going to surf! I’ve got to try this!”

But mostly it was just an addiction to doing things in the ocean. I like warm places and warm water, and being in South Florida we had everything there that I needed. So I finally just did it, and that was it. No turning back.

Bev: What do you enjoy most about teaching surfing?

Kristy: It’s so awesome to see somebody ‘get it’. You explain surfing to them and you’ve shown them what you know, and then everything just comes together and they get it. Since I’m passionate about surfing, since I love surfing so much, that moment when they get it is awesome. I think it’s so fun and it goes back to every little step along the way — just paddling or doing a turtle [roll] — once they get that it feels so good that I helped them achieve it. If it brings a smile to their face, then I’m stoked.

Bev: Has surfing changed your life, and if so, how?

Kristy: Surfing has definitely changed my life, in so many ways. Yeah, surfing pulled me away from my small town, and it opened my eyes to different cultures and people because the travel aspect is such a big part of surfing. I went to college and everything, but I’ve learned more from surfing and the places it’s taken me.

Also, surfing has taught me to focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Being passionate about a sport helps me stay in shape.  It’s given me goals. I want to perform at my top level. I want to be 65 and still surfing! So yeah, it’s changed my life. A lot.

Bev: Would you say that surfing has changed the lives of some of the students you’ve taught?

Kristy: Oh, yeah! We get letters from women that have come to Las Olas and they’re just  inspired! They’re inspired to maybe change their nine-to-five job, or to start up a business idea they’ve always dreamed of doing. And I’m not sure if it’s just surfing, but maybe a mix of things — like being inspired by the other women who are also drawn to surfing, because they’re all so different and individual. Sometimes it’s the surf itself, sometimes it’s the instructors, because I think we seem to have pretty unique lifestyles. It’s just a mix of those things. But yeah, it’s changed the lives of quite a few of the women that I’ve taught to surf. For sure.

Bev: I know you studied Recreation Management in school, then you had a career in competitive surfing, and now you’re teaching surfing in a variety of ways — with Las Olas, with your own program and private clients — so it sounds like you’ve been successful at building your life around surfing. But what do you think you’d be doing if you hadn’t built your life around surfing? What would Kristy Murphy do instead of surfing or teaching surfing?

Kristy: Well, maybe, I probably would have… [pause] Hahahaha! [she laughs] I don’t know. Maybe I’d be working in a hotel or something on Oahu and just surfing for fun? [more laughs]

Bev: It’s a hard question to answer if you’ve already built your life around surfing.

Kristy: Yeah, I definitely think I would have used my recreation degree to some extent. I enjoy the tourism industry, meeting different people, and getting to travel, which is part of what drew me to surfing. I think I would somehow still be in the travel or tourism industry. And hopefully I’d end up somewhere where I could surf in warm water after work.

Bev: As long as you end up in the water, right?

Kristy: Yeah, as long as I’m in the water, before or after work. Preferably after, because I’m not a morning person! Hahaha!

Bev: Anything you’d like to add?

Kristy: Just try surfing, everybody. It’s awesome!

BEV SANDERS founded Las Olas Surf Safaris at the age of 44 after spending 18 years in the snowboard industry, where she was recognized as the Pioneer Woman of Snowboarding by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine and received the Tranny Award, snowboarding's Oscar. Bev's focus shifted when she took a surfing lesson while on vacation in Maui. Having made a lifelong commitment of helping women reach their full potential in snowboarding, Bev continued her mission and launched Las Olas at a time when surfing was a male-dominated sport. For more information, visit SurfLasOlas.com.

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