Wave Whiz
At 17, surfer Erin Brooks is at the top of her sport.
© Manel Geada—World Surf League/Getty Images
Canada’s Erin Brooks surfs during World Surf League’s MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal in March 2025.
Erin Brooks doesn’t live the life of a typical 17-year-old. While most kids her age are going to school and maybe looking for a summer job, Brooks travels the world as a competitive surfer.
Born in Texas in 2007, Brooks didn’t even think about surfing until her family moved to Hawaii, where the huge Pacific waves are ripe for riding. Then 9 years old, Brooks took a surfing lesson and decided she wanted to dedicate her life to the sport.
“From the first wave, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Brooks told Olympics.com in 2024. “It was in Lahaina, Maui, at a wave called Breakwall. I was like, ‘Wow, this is so cool, and people get to do it every day.’ And that’s what I do now, so it’s cool.”
It took a while for Brooks to develop her skills, but hard work paid off. By the time she was 12, it was clear that she had developed an unusual talent, especially with aerials. An aerial is a difficult surfing trick that involves jumping into the air from atop an ocean wave, surfboard and all. Soon, Brooks was competing in surfing competitions all over the world, accompanied by her parents, who by then had retired from their jobs.
© Manel Geada—World Surf League/Getty Images
Erin Brooks smiles after a March 2025 competition.
Today, she’s at the top of her sport, competing against the very best surfers—all of whom are older than she is. Though Brooks was born in the United States, both her parents have Canadian ancestry; this inspired her to represent Canada (she became a Canadian citizen in 2024) in international events.
Brooks is living her dream, but she has also faced challenges in her personal life. In 2023, her mom, Michelle, was diagnosed with cancer. In 2024, Brooks’s family home on the Hawaiian island of Maui was destroyed by wildfires.
Brooks says life is a little calmer now. Michelle is doing better, and the family has a new house in British Columbia, Canada. Brooks, who was homeschooled, has graduated from high school. When she’s home, she likes to skateboard and hang out with her dog, Jimmy.
At press time, Brooks had made it to the semifinals of the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, an international competition involving a series of events over the course of many months. Although she competed on this elite tour last year, in what’s known as a “wild card” slot, she’s now one of its full-time competitors—another sign that she’s reached a new level in her career. Brooks is also the first Canadian to qualify for full-time status on this tour.
“I love surfing so much, so it’s amazing that I get to do something that I love for my job,” Brooks told World Surf League. “I’m just so grateful to be part of it.”
