Surfing and sport teach us many important life lessons, such as setting goals, persevering, playing fair and treating yourself as well as others with respect.
I feel very strongly about the importance of helping young people to realize their full potential as well as believe in themselves and their goals. To make this a reality and teach children values, such as perseverance, fair play and respect, we established the wirmachenwelle e.V. (we make waves) NPO in 2017.
Although I was born in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and grew up in Nuremberg – both inland – I fell in love with water sports. Swimming in lakes in Germany’s Franconia region, summer months at the seaside and a student exchange to Hawaii that was supposed to last one year and turned into nine all contributed to my passion. I learned big wave surfing at Jaws on the north coast of Maui. Today, I’m lucky enough to be one of the most successful big wave surfers in the world. Aside from chasing the world record, I’m primarily interested not only in working to further develop and professionalize the sport but also using the social skills it imparts to help children reach their full potential. That’s why I’ve served as an ambassador for the Laureus Sport For Good foundation since 2015. In 2017, I set up the wirmachenwelle e.V. (we make waves) non-profit organization to give kids and teens the opportunity to learn surfing’s life lessons through a unique, progressive sports program.
