Lisa Andersen

Born: 1969 in New York
From: Ormond Beach, FL
Known for: 4 time world champion

Biography

Some say Lisa laid the foundation for modern women's surfing in the 1990's and she is still the worldwide ambassador for the sport. Lisa was raised in Maryland and Virginia before her family moved to Ormond Beach, FL. She started surfing once she got to Florida but her father did not like this and her surfboard at 15 years old. Lisa decided to run away at 16 to surf in California. She left a note at home saying she was going to California to become world champion surfer. At the time, she did not even know if such a thing existed.

In 1986, she won over 30 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) trophies in under a year. In 1987, she won the US National Championships at Sebastian Inlet. After turning pro, she won 4 World Championship titles from 1994-1997. In 1995, Lisa became the first and only woman to be on the cover of Surfer. This was a huge move for the magazine. Surfer Magazine named Lisa one of the "25 Most Influential Surfers of all Time" and Lisa has been voted "Favorite Female Surfer" by the Surfer Poll Awards for five consecutive years. Her accolades continued with Sports Illustrated for Women naming her one of the "Top Female Athletes of the 20th Century". In 2003, she was inaugurated in the HSS walk of fame and into Jack's Walk of Fame in 2004. She like many other female surfers have been in several videos and Lisa is also a character in the Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer Activision videogame.

Lisa still competes occasionally and she always attends major Roxy events. Lisa Andersen even has a her own surf camp called "Lisa Pro Surf Camps." Here she teaches girls what they need to know to make it as a pro female surfer.

Read more about women surfers.