Date of Birth: March 8, 1969
Height: 5’6"
Stance: Regular
Sponsors: Roxy, HSS, Dakine, Channel Islands Surfboards
Current Residence: Newport Beach, CA
Bio
Lisa Andersen is a legend. She is the epitome of great looks and excellent surfing. Her beautiful, feminine style and athleticism laid the foundation for modern women’s surfing in the 1990's and she is still the worldwide ambassador for the sport. Lisa is also revered as an inspiration and a pioneer who trail-blazed a path for today’s new generation of professional women’s surfers. Despite her tremendous accomplishments, she is a humble person who says that she doesn’t want to steal credit from her female predecessors, but no one will argue that her work was fundamental to the success and increased popularity of her sport. She is an icon to everyone who surfs – male or female.
Like everyone, Lisa has faced the ups and downs that life throws at her. Growing up at times was hard and, at age 16, she ran away from Ormond Beach, FL to Huntington Beach, CA. She left a note for her parents to read, "I’m going to become world champion." Little did they know, she would live up to this bold claim.
Lisa has been in the limelight since 1986 – when she racked up over 30 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) trophies in under a year. In 1987, she won the US National Championships at Sabastian Inlet. After turning pro, she learned how to adapt her explosive and progressive free surfing to the hyper competitive ASP World Tour. This effort led to an amazing four World Championship titles from 1994-1997.
In 1995, Lisa became the first and only woman to ever grace the cover of Surfer, a major move for the magazine – the cover reads, "Lisa Andersen Surfs Better Than You," everyone knew that she deserved it. Lisa has also been on the cover of Outside, Women’s Sports and Fitness and Sports Illustrated for Women. Surfer Magazine named her one of the "25 Most Influential Surfers of all Time" and has been voted “Favorite Female Surfer” by the Surfer Poll Awards for five consecutive years. Sports Illustrated for Women even named 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, both in Huntington Beach, CA, AKA "Surf City USA". She has been featured in several videos and DVDs and is also a character in the Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer Activision videogame. Her achievements are endless.
Lisa is currently working on a movie project. She continues to compete from time to time and she always attends major Roxy events. Her love for the sport is evident at her "Lisa Pro Surf Camps" where she teaches girls herself what they need to know to make it as a pro. She loves to adventure on the Quiksilver Crossing bot voyages and relishes discovering new things and learning about different cultures. Lisa loves everything that her job brings to her. In the past it was all about the surf, but now, it is about much more: the place, the moment, and the friends along the way.
Lisa is a humble soul who shows love and kindness to everyone who has eve been a part of her life. She is truly an amazing person, extremely talented both in and out of the water. Lisa spends her days traveling and at homes in Ormond Beach, FL, and Huntington Beach, CA. At home, she loves to spend time gardening – planting her lavender for good luck and snapping photos. Her life has been blessed with two wonderful children, Erica and Mason, who often get the luxury of traveling from paradise to paradise with their mother. Rarely does a beauty from a difficult background make it through life with such complete grace that this woman has, and everyone knows her as Lisa Andersen.
