Rising Grom Saffi Vette

There was a time when if a woman surfer paddled out into the lineup, heads spun and the macho sound of a male-dominated arena changed its tone somewhat, with those present all of a sudden offering advice, phone numbers and every pickup line you could imagine.

These days, woman are as much a part of the lineups across the world as the men, and here in NZ over the last 10 years it is our woman surfers who have lead the charge and flown our flag with distinction. So the next time you see a dainty, cute female surfer paddle up next to you, don’t be fooled by their disguise ’cause they’re no longer here to fill the numbers but to get their share of waves, and that could be the very wave you had your eye on before they stole your attention. 16-year-old Saffi Vette of Makorori, Gisborne, is our Rising Grommette and with notches in her belt in the form of national titles and having already earned the fern, the future looks solid.

How did your first surfing experience come about? When and who with?

I started very young but I can only remember a session that was out front of our house. Mum and Dad would stand offthis rock and push me and my little bro into little 1-2 footers. The break is Nana’s/Dorry’s Rock as my great aunty Dorry used to live in a little shack where our current house is now.

Tell us about the local surf conditions, how often you get to surf and where are your favourite local breaks?

It’s pretty consistent and there are multiple breaks along the coast within a 5-45 minute drive. I get to surf quite a bit as I’m lucky to live right across the road from the beach. I’m doing school from home at the moment so I try to surf as much as possible. I try my best to surf 2-3 times a day. I don’t really have a favourite break, just wherever is surfable and has a good bank I’m out there.

The best waves you’ve ever scored on your local coastline?

Probably about two years ago when the Raglan Academy came over for a few days to shoot with NZSURFMAG, it was pretty good. We were all so lucky to score cause the surf hadn’t been like that in years!