By Kaea Latronic – At just eleven years old Zoee Bradshaw is consistently and rapidly carving out a top spot amongst her peers and even athletes several years older. Her dedication and fun-loving attitude winks knowingly at a promising future in surfing. From her 10-point ride in 2022 at Coffs Harbor, Australia, to her third place NSSA ranking in the Hawai’i Open Mini-Grom Girls’ division, she more than earned her spot on the Hawai’i Surf Team for the 2025 ISA Junior World Championships. Daughter of Australian-born surfer Amanda and big-wave legend and coach, Ken Bradshaw, we caught up with Zoee after a session at Rockies, still bubbly and stoked from the froth.
Q: On a typical fun day, how many times do you actually surf?
A: I usually surf two times a day, sometimes three.
Q: Let’s talk about Rocky Point. I always thought it was make or break—either the best session or the worst.
A: Yeah, most of the time it’s really fun. I like Rockies a lot. Sometimes I have a bad session out there, but most of the time it’s super fun.
Q: Where’s your favorite surf spot here in Hawai’i? And what about anywhere else in the world?
A: Here in Hawaiʻi, definitely Rockies. It’s just so fun—long rights and lefts, they’re so good. Anywhere in the world, probably Rifles in Indo. It’s a perfect right.
Q: What’s the deal with Indo? You guys seem to go a lot.
A: Yeah, we do. I stay on ‘Oahu for about seven months of the year, and we travel around Indo for the rest of the year.
Q: What’s the biggest wave you’ve surfed?
A: My dad takes me out on a jet ski. I’ve surfed some big waves then, and it definitely makes the bigger waves here feel smaller—less scary.
Q: How old were you when you started surfing? Do you remember your first wave?
A: I don’t remember my very first wave, but I do remember one when I was about eight. That’s probably the first wave I really remember. I got a sick one and I was so happy.
Q: Do you remember your last wave?
A: Yeah, today. It was really fun. I got a few good ones.
Q: How old were you when you surfed your first outer reef or big wave spot?
A: I think I went out when I was seven or eight. I started towing in flat water when I was five or six. My first big wave was probably at Phantoms when I was eight—about 10 to 12 feet.
Q: And recently you had a big day out? It was over 15”!
A: Yeah, it was crazy fun. Scary and fun at the same time. Not the best day, but still really good.
Q: Your life seems to revolve around surfing—traveling, living on the North Shore, being homeschooled. Is that by choice?
A: Yeah, definitely. My parents don’t have to push me into it. This is what I want.
Q: How helpful has it been to have supportive parents?
A: Super helpful. When I was little, my mom would push me into waves. That really helped me get better.
Q: Where do you see yourself when you’re 21?
A: Hopefully on the CT, traveling the world with my friends, getting drained in between comps.
Q: What’s “getting drained”?
A: Getting barreled.
Q: What came first, skateboarding or surfing? And which do you like more?
A: I definitely started skating first. When I was little, I skated way more than I surfed. I went to the skate park pretty much every day, and it definitely helped my surfing.
Q: If you could go back, would you have started surfing earlier or kept skating?
A: I love doing both.
Q: How does skating help your surfing?
A: I think the movements in skating kind of translate to surfing, like airs and turns.
Q: You often surf with older girls. How’s that?
A: I’m fine with it, but I do miss some of my friends who don’t surf. I don’t get to hang out with them as much, but we still see each other.
Q: What is it that makes surfing so fun for you?
A: The waves, the feeling. Like when you do a good turn and blow your tail out, it just feels so good. It makes you so happy.
Q: Besides surfing, what do you like to do?
A: I like making jewelry. I started about a year ago. Actually, I’m wearing one of my pieces right now. I got a bunch of supplies before leaving Hawai’i—it’s just fun and creative.
Q: Any other hobbies?
A: Not really.
This confident, beaming, humble young woman is performing at a level that is truly unique for her age bracket. We will certainly be seeing more young upstarts in modern female surfing but keep a watchful eye on this one!
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