Betsy often tells people that she came into surfing much too late and on the wrong equipment, knowing that she truly believes neither of those things. What is true is that she didn’t start surfing until age 27 and after three months of playful, summertime bliss in warm Atlantic waters, she found herself deeply in love with longboarding.
Surfing gives her a confidence she’d always denied, a humbleness as vast as the ocean herself, joy that knows no boundaries and a gratitude for which there are not words. A childhood of adoring the ocean has caught up to itself and where the shoreline once sufficed, the ocean is now her playground.
Today Betsy finds herself passionate about sharing her love of surfing with others. She wants others to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of surfing from its purest place, a person, their board and an ever evolving relationship with the ocean.
Growing up in Fernandina Beach, David started surfing at 11. It felt like a late start when he began competing in the ESA and he looked to catch up to surfers like Keith McCarthy, Brian Slais and even younger surfers like Rorrey McCarthy, Gramm McCoy and Coley Ferguson.
While attending UF and meeting surfers from all over Florida he learned about the seasons and rare occasions during which the other regions of the state could get quality waves. After college he spent 3 years in San Diego working with Surfer Magazine and the ASP on webcasts for events like the O’Neil Coldwater Classic, NSSA Nationals at Lower Trestles, and the XCEL Pro Sunset Beach in Oahu.
California taught him to pay attention to the wave, the importance of a good bottom turn and humility. Back in Florida, looking at every wave with a new perspective, he feels like he’s surfing better every year.
