Best Women Surfers in the World

Women’s surfing has come a long way since the days of “Gidget.” While the daredevil sport still is associated with big-name men, some of the most accomplished surfers in history have been women.

That’s true now more than ever, with a host of acrobatic stars across the globe continuing to push the boundaries of the sport and take it to new levels. In 2019, the World Surfing League started offering the same prize money to male and female surfers at every WSL event, making it the first U.S.-based sports league to pay its athletes the same regardless of gender.

Equal pay is a big deal and a testament to the rise of women’s surfing. As the sport keeps growing, here are the women’s surfers you should know.

Born: Oct. 30, 1987

Country: United States

Hometown: San Francisco, California

 Bianca Valenti is considered the top U.S. women’s big-wave surfer from the mainland. In the first three World Surf League Big Wave Tour events at Jaws on the north shore of Maui, she finished seventh or better. 

Valenti has ventured south of the border to try to tame Mack truck-sized barrels at Puerto Escondido off the Mexican coast. And her activism on the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing also played a pivotal role in the World Surf League’s decision to include women in the Mavericks contest, held near her home in Northern California, and offer equal pay for men’s and women’s events.

For her efforts, Outside magazine named Valenti one of its most accomplished athletes of the year in 2018.

Born: Jan. 2, 1994

Country: United States

Hometown: Makaha, Oahu, Hawaii

Hailing from Oahu, Alessa Quizon is looking to make her way back onto the World Surf League’s elite Championship Tour, where she competed from 2014 to 2016. Those hopes got a big boost with a victory at the 2019 Sydney Women’s Pro on the Women’s Qualifying Series.

Although she’s only 26, Quizon is a veteran of the pro surfing circuit, going back to her No. 4 junior world ranking in 2011.

Her best career finish came in 2015, when she placed third at the Target Maui Pro on the Championship Tour.