Corina Rose Barnick

Years Surfing: 15

Fave Board: 9’4 Jeremiah Kille Log

Instagram: @corina_rose

What/who got you started surfing? I’m the youngest of five kids so, growing up, I always wanted to do what my older siblings were doing. My eldest brother Ben had become an avid surfer by the time I was a teenager, and I thought that was the coolest thing. Up to that point, I had only played team sports like soccer and softball, so finding an individual activity felt really special – like something I could make my own. At the time, my brother was living in Southern California, so I would get to visit and he would take me around to classic So-Cal surf destinations like Blackies, San Onofre, Doheny – places that are now my regular go-to spots. Getting to spend time in Southern California and seeing all the talent and unique styles of surfing there got me stoked to surf more and improve when I would go back home. I also found a fun community of friends to surf with on the Central Coast, which kept me inspired and stoked to paddle out as much as possible.

What is your philosophy on surfing? That the whole purpose of it is to find enjoyment.

What do you love about surf culture as it pertains to women surfers? I love how women’s surfing has evolved, at least in the time that I’ve been paying attention to it. There have been so many amazing women in surfing since its inception, from Linda Benson to Rell Sunn and SO many other countless babes who have mastered the glide. It actually kind of gets me a little emotional, thinking about all the incredible ladies out there, and how they’re making surfing their own in the most beautiful, fun, feminine and expressive ways. I don’t really think about it in terms of women surfers vs. surf culture as a whole, because it’s all tied together. Whatever negativity may exist out there with regard to women in the water probably comes from a place of fear or inauthenticity and I think those things are transparent and will fade away over time. I think there’s a really bright and beautiful future for women in general, but especially in women’s surfing.

How has your surfing life in the water affected the rest of your life on land? Surfing keeps me balanced. It may sound cliché but, over the years, it’s become such a constant in my life that I feel incomplete without it. There are definitely times when I go several days or even a week or two without getting in the water, but once I do, it just has a way of smoothing everything over and making you feel new again.