Where Are All The Female Freesurfers?
Noah Klapp is not afraid to hit film-part-worthy closeouts.
Observation: there’s not many female freesurfers in 2024.
Those who do fit the bill tend to have racked up an impressive list of competitive accolades beforehand (Coco Ho, for example), or discovered that the one-off endorsement / ambassador model (see: Tia Blanco) can be far more lucrative than being a paid clotheshorse for a major sponsor.
See our women’s episode from How Surfers Get Paid.
“I am originally from Spain,” Inamorata star Noah Klapp told Stab. “But I’ve called California home for the past ten years. With this clip, I just wanted to create something a little more unique and try to show both my talents — not just surfing, but my art as well.”
At 21, Noah has already racked up an impressive list of competitive achievements, including a QS win in Barbados and a third place finish at the recent CS in Portugal, on debut. However, despite being more than capable of taking names in a jersey, she admits that contest surfing isn’t her ultimate goal.
“I’m not really sure what other path there is in surfing… Ideally, I’d love to freesurf and create more fulfilling, creative projects. But for now, I’m trying to figure things out and get a sponsor’s attention. It’s tough to find support these days, but I do believe I have something different to offer, so hopefully I stand out a bit.”
After moving from Malibu to Ventura a few years back, Noah now regularly inhabits the same lineup as her childhood idol, Dane Reynolds — who felt similarly boxed in by the demands of contest surfing. “He is my favorite surfer of all time and I definitely look up to him. I’m such a fangirl but I definitely try to play it cool when we’re grinding out two-foot Emma Wood together,” she laughs.
Speaking to her strengths as a surfer, Noah said the following, “I’d say I have a pretty good rail game, and I’m not scared to really hit the bigger waves or critical sections”.
That’s an evidence-backed statement based on some of her turns in Inamorata, shot by her father over a few weeks in El Salvador. She absolutely clobbers well-overhead sections, and possess a roundhouse rebound reminiscent of Y2K Shaun Cansdell.
“I definitely want to push to make more edits… This is my first dabble into that world, so I’m pretty happy with how it came out, all things considered.”
Youth, beauty, smarts, 75K IG followers, and some artistic flare to boot – dare I say the phone will be ringing soon.
Comments
Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.
Already a member? Sign In
Want to join? Sign Up