The Ocean Was Always There
It started with my dad, a windsurfer. I’ve been on a board since before I could walk — a kid so obsessed with water my parents carried a little tub everywhere just to keep me happy. I grew up in a small town in Sweden. I spent my time mostly outside: the bay, the little islands, fishing, long summers by the sea. The ocean had me before I understood why.
Chasing The Feeling
I always knew I wanted a life by the water. After school, I moved from my hometown to the mountains of Sweden to learn to snowboard. A few months later some friends invited me on a surf trip to Morocco. Even though surfing was not something I was exposed to in Sweden, my curiosity and sense of adventure guided me.
I still remember the first wave — something clicked into place that had felt loose my whole life. It was natural. It was simple. It was mine. I was in love before I made it back to the beach.
Portugal — Becoming A Coach
Years later, at a camp, people from the surf world saw something in me and offered me work in Portugal. Almost overnight I was a surf coach. Long days, full responsibility, dawn to dark — carrying boards, reading the clients, giving everything to every session. That’s where I learned it for real: how to read the ocean, keep people safe, and truly teach.
A Life Of Waves And Places
From there, the ocean kept moving me — Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, El Salvador, Mexico. Different coasts, different cultures, the same love. In Sri Lanka I found a place I couldn’t leave; I kept coming back, growing from coach, to manager, to running an entire surf camp. My guests kept telling me the same thing, they came back for me, not just the place. That planted a thought that wouldn’t leave — I should build my own.
Building My Own — With My Own Hands
I had almost no money, just drive and a clear vision. I built my first surf camp from the ground up, mostly on my own: upcycling, building from what the land gave me, creating something that didn’t exist anywhere else. Doing it alone was hard, but it was proud work — it shaped me into the coach, host and person I wanted to be.
The goal wasn’t just surfing, it was creating a space that gave people permission to be their authentic self. I hand picked the raddest legends from around the globe - and brought them together - we became a family. These were people whose knowledge and skills were genuine and shared freely with love and that's what set us apart.
The Part I Love Most
Somehow I’ve been given a gift. People come to me carrying things — a fear of the ocean, a wave that once scared them, years of feeling stuck - not just in surfing, but in life. Many have tried other coaches, but with me something settles, and they trust me enough to try again.
Then I get to watch it happen: the first wave, the breakthrough years in the making, the moment the fear lets go. And so many never stop — years on they’re still surfing, some seriously good now, some working in the industry or running their own retreats, still friends with people they met through me. It was never only about waves, it’s about what the ocean gives people permission to become, and that is the part I love most.
What The Ocean Gave Me
The ocean has given me everything — direction when I felt lost, peace when nothing else made sense, and a life I truly love. That’s what I want to share, helping people find their way back to themselves, take the steps that scare them, and fall for the ocean the way I did.
“Surf isn’t just a sport. It’s life.”
