Hayley Rueger

Years Surfing: 4

Fave Board: Barahona 7’7 Funboard

Instagram: @hayleyrueger

What/who got you started surfing? My best friend from high school was the only female surfer I knew, and I remember thinking that was so cool. She taught me how to surf when I was 17 and we spent an entire summer waking up to surf at dawn, grabbing breakfast at a local cafe, heading home to nap, then coming back in the afternoon to surf til sunset. We’d play guitar out of the back of my truck at sunset. It was awesome, probably the best summer of my life haha

What is your philosophy on surfing? HAVE FUN 🙂 I’m not a good surfer by anyone’s standards, and my friends are always yelling at me to take more waves or paddle out where they go, etc, but I know my limits and when I want to push them and when I don’t. I’m out there to have fun, connect with nature, and just leave any stress I have behind on land for a bit.

Where do you see women’s surfing in the future, say 10 years out? With the big moves in the past year within the WSL and more and more female surfers absolutely killing it, especially in the big wave categories, I definitely see a shift in the industry. When I started HerSurf, the main goal was to create a community of female surfers, where we can just have fun, get stoked, and celebrate each other. I knew I wanted Lina on board not only because she’s incredibly talented and smart, and an insanely good surfer, but because she’s the kind of female surfer I hope we see more of. She’s encouraging, loves to challenge me to paddle out in spots I’m not sure I’m capable of handling, and just wants to have a good time. That’s where I think the industry will be in 10 years: more women out in the water, unapologetically claiming waves and spreading stoke, more little girls feeling confident in their place out there, and more harmony out in the surf. The ocean is her own being– not owned by the boys or by the girls. I just want to see a future where we can all rip, cruise, and wipeout together.

Most memorable surf moment? One morning my friends and I gathered the troops and paddled out at a spot I’m notoriously bad at. Everyone showed up with Wavestorms but I didn’t have one, so Lina swapped with me so I could actually catch some waves. It was a dead silent morning… Apart from our group, like 9 of us, just being absolute idiots on Wavestorms, trying dumb tricks like headstands and racecars. I was having such a good time, we were all laughing so hard. The loudest group out there, probably annoying everyone else, but definitely having the most fun out of everyone in the water that day.

Who are your surf heroes, and why? Carissa Moore and Lakey Peterson. Both of them are just absolute legends to me– they’re strong, gorgeous, and full of pure stoke. Also a local hero of mine is Morgan Sliff (@jahmorgan)– she’s surfed everyday without missing a day for like 1200+ days now, and she’s the absolute sweetest and coolest. Also JJF, hmu if you’re single.