123: How to push your limits & live life to the fullest, with legendary big wave surfer mom Sarah Gerhardt

What's it like to surf one of the scariest big waves on earth, and be the first woman to do it? When I think of women’s big wave surfing, I immediately think of Sarah Gerhardt-Northern California’s courageous Maverick’s surfer. When I was only a teenager, learning to surfer myself, Sarah was pushing the limit for women’s surfing at one of the scariest, coldest, most daunting waves on earth. 

 

And not only has she dominated one of the biggest, most difficult waves to surf in the world, she is also a mama of two, and professor of Chemistry. This mama is both accomplished, on a physical and intellectual level, and uses her focus and analytical brain, to master all that she sets her sights on. 

 

What I find the most interesting about Sarah, is that she studied Mavericks at length before actually dropping in on a wave herself. It’s fascinating to hear to progression of going from watching to actually partaking in one of the scariest things a human can do. Her husband, Mikey, one of the most accomplished male big wave surfers, is one of her greatest inspirations and she admits he’s her favorite surfer to watch out at Mavericks. 

 

In 1998, she paddled out to watch from the channel, analyzing and watching every wave, and eventually paddled into a few herself. She admits that it is terrifying, but that knowing your surroundings, having good equipment and clocking in the hours studying the wave has helped to keep her feeling safer in this treacherous environment. 

 

Sarah is not someone who had it easy growing up, she has experienced homelessness and poverty, and appreciates all that she has and has accomplished. Today we are going to talk about what she learned from her tough upbringing and how thats made her who she is today, how that has informed her parenting, how big wave surfing affected her parenting and what its like to face our biggest fears. 

Take Aways: 

• Sarah’s life before surfing Mavericks, and what inspired her to surf the wave in the first place

• Homelessness and struggle in Sarah’s childhood and how it led to who she is today

• How Sarah homed in on Maverick’s and began training seriously to surf the wave

• How Sarah and her friends trained with heavy rocks and big wave gear to get into shape for giant wave surfing

• Sarah’s experience watching this terrifying wave from the channel, and analyzing every little detail of the wave and conditions.

• Sarah’s first paddle out at Mavericks and how she got slapped around, scared and discouraged.

• The next time she paddled out, she felt more confident, and how her mindset shifted.

• How our mindset can get us to do things we never could’ve imagined in this life.

• Channeling intensity into courageous pursuits

• When Sarah met her husband Mickey and how he pushed her to appreciate this wave even more.

• Sarah’s take on new motherhood versus now, and the challenges that accompany each stage.

• Why Sarah opted out of big wave surfing last year during the COVID pandemic.