Pro surfer Laura Enever's inspiring approach to living fearlessly

Published Oct 30, 2024, 2:00 PM

Australian pro surfer Laura Enever discusses the evolution of her surfing career from seven seasons on the WSL Women’s Championship Tour (consistently finishing in the top 10) before pursuing big wave surfing in 2017. She shares how she has learnt to live fearlessly in surfing and life. 

 

WANT MORE FROM LAURA?

You can follow Laura’s big wave antics @lauraenever or see her site here

 

WANT MORE BODY + SOUL? 

Online: Head to bodyandsoul.com.au for your daily digital dose of health and wellness.

On social: Via Instagram at @bodyandsoul_au or Facebook. Or, TikTok here. Got an idea for an episode? DM host Felicity Harley on Instagram @felicityharley

In print: Each Sunday, grab Body+Soul inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), the Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland), Sunday Mail (SA) and Sunday Tasmanian (Tasmania). 

Oh hello, welcome to Extra Healthy Ish, the big sister podcast to Healthy Ish from Body and Soul. I am your host, Felicity Halle. We have a pretty freaking inspiring guest today. Australian pro surfer Laura Enver joins me in the studio now. She recently set a world record for the biggest paddle wave surfed by a woman. Pretty impressive. So today she's here to discuss the evolution of her surfing career, from her seven seasons on the WSL Women's Championship Tour to the big wave surfing scene anyway. She's also going to share how she lives fearlessly, how she leans into the feeling of fear in both surfing and life. Laura, welcome to Extra Healthy Thank you, thanks so much for having me.

She's on your big win. I know, so so cool, literally can't believe it.

We will talk about that a bit more later, but before we kick off, I have to ask you the question that I ask everyone who comes on the podcast. How do you stay extra healthy ish in your life?

How do I stay extra healthy ish? Oh that's a big question, but I think it's got to be balanced. It's got to be balanced and it's got to be you know, doing things that just fill your.

Cup and what thing. So it just depends, you know.

Sometimes I'll be in like a real like training mode where I you know, when I'm in the lead up to the big wave season, and everything I'm doing is is just literally to you know, look ahead and get ready for that big wave season and get my body and mind prepared and just like strength, just get my body strong so I can serve these waves. So I feel obviously very empowered and strong when I'm and you know, yeah, I just amazing when I'm training and in that training zone. But then I also love just taking my dog's walks, sleeping in, hanging with my friends, traveling and just doing that whole and just surfing for fun and just hanging at the beach and being in the ocean. It's that whole other side, and I love being able to flow between them and know when I need each part of that to feel whatever cumties.

It's about surfing. Talk to us about well, perhaps how you got into it and then you're on the WSL Women's Championship till for seven years, and then how you converted to totally the big wave scene.

Yeah, I know it's actually amazing.

I think the most like incredible thing, the most incredible gift, and I guess think about surfing is that for my whole entire life, I've been able to I've been able to evolve, and my surfing's been able to evolve with me and grow through so many different stages and phases of my life. Like I look back at the ten year old me who was learning to surf, he was absolutely hooked and like my parents couldn't get me out of the water before and after school. And then you know, to when I started competing as a teenager, and that was just like this fresh fun time of realizing, oh my gosh, like I want to be a pro, like I want to do this for.

My my wedding.

To realize that kind of around fourteen and I started winning some events, and then fast forward three years, I'd qualified for the World Tour. So it all happened really quickly, and then I was on this world too. As an eighteen year old, just couldn't believe. I was literally like rubbing shoulders with Kelly Slater and Bick Fanning and all my heroes, just and Stephanie Gilmour and just competing with them, and I was like, well, I swear I was like that fourteen year old and twelve year old like yesterday, and then kind of just realizing, oh my gosh, there's stress and pressure of competing. Now you have to stay here, You've got these sponsors, you know, like you just kind of going through that whole like, oh my gosh, there's actually a lot that comes with like the high end, the version of competing and who I was and you know, as a young young girl within that and just always I think after that, trying to rEFInd I love and keep you know, keep myself feeling whole while I was doing it all.

Because it's interesting you mentioned that because you obviously took it up when you're fourteen for the love of it totally, but then when you become professional, it's more of a business, like it's your work.

Yeah.

You told our print edition you describe surfing as a soul sport.

Yeah.

How did you maintain your love of it when you, well.

When you turn pro.

Yeah, well that was a thing like I for the first time when I was competing at that high level, at that high end level, I got anxiety. For the first time I had my first panic attack and a heat and I just was like there was this time where I was like, oh my gosh, like I just wasn't really you know, I wasn't ready for that.

I wasn't ready for that stress and stuff. And so I realized, you know.

I had to obviously speak to a good sports psychologist, and the best thing that they told me was just always remember why you're doing this. You need to come back to your like love and why. And that's the thing that helped me through and always, you know, was this big pillar in my life career. I don't want to do this unless I'm doing it for love and fun and it can still be a business. But I always made sure that I just would go out and even sometimes just swim in the ocean right like a fun board that I'm not doing any high end or high performance surfing on, just literally going out there for the fun and just keeping that young me alive.

Love it, Like what is it?

Yet? When you're ride a wave, every wave is different, Every single surf is different. You know, you get to go to these amazing waves all around the world in different locations, every single wave that there's not you can never learn everything about surfing, and you can always keep evolving and changing and it's just it keeps it so exciting. And that's why when I went and surfed this way pi jaws for the first.

Time, I never have the one you want the award.

No, this is this is the first time I was introduced to big wave souring big big waves. I got invited to this first ever women's event there, and they they'd noticed that I'd started, you know, looking into bigger waves and putting myself into these waves of consequence in sort of Fiji and.

Waves of Consequence.

Yeah, it's because they're like how they describe it, they're kind of like these barreling waves like pipes. So basically it's like pipeline and Fiji and Tahiti where they had the Olympics this year, they're like big barreling waves and they break on shallow reef and they call them waves of consequence because you know, they've just really.

They're really dangerous.

And I started serving them sort of back in like of really tackling them in two thousand and fifteen sixteen.

And what attracted you to them? I just getting barreled.

It's like you can't explain it, like you you just like are inside the wave and it's like going over the top of you. And we didn't have the when I was on the World Tour, we didn't have any contests really at those waves of consequence. Yet they just sort of brought Fiji on for us. But then when I started surfing them in between events, I just started falling more in love with them, and I was like, I want to do is they're more thrill or thrill It's it's real adrenaline excitement, you know, it's it's dangerous. But then when you get barreled and you come out like I got. I went on this surf trip where I just got these the best waves of my life, got the best barrels of my life. And then the next week we had the Australian Open at Manly Beach and I ended up winning that event and it was my first big win in like I think, probably like four or five years, and I remember like sitting up there, like sitting there after with my trophy and going okay, which feeling felt better like doing that that kind of surfing like two days ago or winning the camp today, And I just was I just made this decision that I loved that.

More riding the big ways make you a better surfer on the tournament.

Yeah, it actually gave me the confidence. And I feel like all of my best results that I ever had came after I'd go on this big wave surf trip and I'd go back to the event and I'd feel this confidence and this empowered feeling, and my cup was so filled with being able to surf and just do it for the love. And then I just kind of decided I wanted to do that and not compete. And my whole family and my team and my sponsors were like, what you can't you can't.

Stop, just give it up. You've literally worked your whole entire life to be on the world Tour.

And I after seven years, I was like twenty five, and you know, in the middle of my career, and I just said, Nap, I just want to go surf big waves and I just want to. I don't know if it's even going to make me any money or if it's going to even be a career, but I was like, I just needed to do this for me, And.

I mean that's a very bold move.

It was like very I was stubborn and I just you know, it was hard. Though I'd made that decision, I stopped competing, and then the whole next year twenty eighteen was kind of me learning the ropes of how to be this big wave surf and kind of just going back to the start.

And yeah, talk to us a bit about that that because I remember when Flick was on here, she there is a whole different training process.

Is it's a big wave.

Yeah, And when I'd committed to that, I obviously didn't realize that, you know, there'd be so many doubts along the way. There are obviously people doubting me and thinking I'd made the wrong decision, and me, you know, trying to push through do all my training. You know, just learn get alway in your equipment and learn how to ride these these big different waves.

And yeah, like.

I had a training change. Talk to us a bit about the mechanics of your training. I know, breath work is a bit of a thing that you have to learn how to hold your breath.

Yeah, total longer, that's the thing.

Yeah, breath work, I would say, is the most important part of training for big waves. And so you're doing like a lot of pool work where you're I guess you can do a static breathold, which is where you try to like keep your heart rate down and hold your breath as long as you can. But when you're in a big wave arena, there's no way that you're ever going to have a calm heart.

You know, You're always going to have the adrenaline.

Yeah, so a lot of our training and a lot of our training would be, you know, getting your heart rate up, so sprinting fifty meters in the pool and then trying to hold your breath after at the very end and get your heart rate down and try to stay under the water. So it would kind of mimic you know, you surfing and then you have a wipeout and then you need to hold your breath and stay calm underwater. So yeah, all of those What.

About you in the gym train? Yeah, how did that change?

Yeah? That that just I really just kicked up my legs strengthening and then obviously my my board paddling. I did a lot of paddling fitness work like that, but mostly just my legs because you know, when you're I even do this thing where I'd get on the trampoline and I'd have the board struck to my legs and you'd have to, you know, you pretend because when you're going down one of these big waves, it's like bumpy and fast and you just need to have to clean on almost. Yeah, you're literally cleaning on with your toes, just like stay on this board. But yeah, I think for me, I've had knee injuries. Like the first time I ever served Jaws in Hawaii, my second wave, my knee got burned pieces and that was literally just from the force of the wave just hitting me and just washing MI around the whitewash. And that was kind of the injury where I was out for six months and then I decided to not go back to competing after that, right, And so I had this crazy injury and everyone was like, Okay, let's just get you better and then you go back on tour. And I was like, no, no, I'm going to get better and make my legs stronger and go back there and.

Go so go bigger, and go bigger.

So that was a big thing, trying to get my knees and legs and everything as strong as possible.

We'll be back after this short break with more from Laura. What about mentally, Yeah, Like, I mean, you just have to have amazing resilience and motivation and self talk to keep yourself calm.

Totally, How did well I talked? I know, well, I feel like the first couple of years I actually battled with like a fair lot of imposter syndrome when I'd gotten there, because at the time I was one of the only girls at all of these big wave spots, and I literally I just I just felt, you know, kind of alone in it. And then also like I kind of felt like I had to prove myself. And then I realized, you know, there's there's no point doing this, and I'm trying to do this for others, to prove myself to others. Like so once I dropped that feeling, I was like, I'm literally doing this for myself, Like I can't you know, if my sponsors want to drop me, if they want to, if they don't like this, then that's just going to happen. But you can't do this for anyone else but you, because it's just no point doing that.

And then once I kind of made that decision, it felt like.

Things just started falling into place and I would just have like these little wins and like these little wins were like just like, oh, like I just served a wave, you know, I just made it, made a way differently to what I'd been yet, just like just ticking my own little goals, right, and and then I end up getting like one of the best waves of my life and it's.

Just the one you yeah got the Guinness would record. I talked just a bit about that. That wave.

Yeah, that was that was incredible because I feel like when I paddled into that wave, that felt like the peak of my entire career. It felt like I everything that I'd been working towards, you know, the seven years in the World Tour, and then almost seven years of doing big wave surfing, having you know, trying to fit in for the first few years there, and then finally just feeling this confidence and just going, I don't care what anyone thinks, I'm doing this for me, and then this wave just showing up. It was just yeah, I just had to just do what I loved and paddle into it and.

Commit and go.

And I remember thinking, I don't care if no one had even photographed that wave, or if I didn't even have this world record accolade, that would still be just the peak of my career and no one would even have seen it, and I would just known that it was for me. And I was actually had four days where that was just like the best four days of my life after going, oh my gosh, I'm just being so proud of my whole entire journey and remembering how I felt out there that day and how I was able to catch that wave, and yeah, so it was it was funny. I had four days where I just got to be like, oh my god, this is so awesome, Like you don't have imposssin them anymore. You deserve this, you belong that, you are strong, and you've done it. And then literally I got this message on Instagram from the photographer going, I photographed your wave. It's I think it's this way ever served by a woman, paddled by a woman. And then yeah, then I entered it and I yeah won.

I mean for me, I mean we've met previously at you know, Women's Health when you won a few awards at the Women's Sport Awards. But for me, you've had an amazing longevity in your career because you are you don't have blinkers on, you're not well, you're not worried about you're doing it for you and what fuels you, But you have an insane amount of fearlessness. Where does this come from?

I know, it's so it's so wild, Like I've I just feel like I've always and even if I don't even really realize it, I've just always felt like it.

It's totally okay for me to reinvent myself and just grow.

And I'm not happy where I am, just like not completely content that it's okay to grow and it's okay to love and appreciate where you've been and be proud of that person.

But yeah, you get scared.

Yeah I get scared. I remember that first. I was so scared that first year I made that decision to leave competitive surfing into big wave surfing. But then I look back and I'm so grateful for that time because I grew so much and I learned so much about myself and how vulnerable I was and how resilient I could be, and just to put out to block all the noise, and which is actually something I couldn't even do when I was competing. I couldn't really block that noise. So I'm just I'm proud that with this big wave surfing career. I've been able to just push through something I wasn't able to do in competitive surfing. And I know that, like the rest of my life, there's going to be moments like that, you know, when I want to start a family eventually, like that fear of taking the plunge and doing that, and it makes me excited. Now I just fear and do it anyway. Yeah, it's and that's what they say. It's like, I think courage is being scared.

And doing it anyway.

And I think that is and you feel such immense freedom after you try. And but trust me, there's been so many failures. And I just say to young girls now, like any young girl that's like trying to do anything, I'm like, do not do it because.

You're afraid to fail.

You're going to fail, it's just a part of it. But then you're going to fail enough that you're going to You're going to make it one day and you.

Know, yeah, it's all the growth happens of your comfort zone, doesn't it when you just and so many of us getting this box of feeling comfortable and it's just leaning into that fear and being okay with that. And I love that you answer that question more with how when you felt fearless throughout your career, rather than standing in front of a big wave and think, yeah.

Totally shit, yes, I know, it's so wild. Like there's this part of me that just comes alive in big wavesurfing. And I I always tried to bring her out in other areas, like the RTA when I'm standing in line, or like the bank when I'm like having a meeting, I'm like, where's this big.

Wave surf a girl that's courageous to like where is she? Like, come on, where are you in there?

But like, you know, it's just there's this side of me that comes alive and when I'm out in these big waves and I just when she comes alive, I'm like, oh my gosh, I just know I'm in the right place doing what I meant to be doing.

You're you're more of.

A little goal than a big goal person. I have read, So what's next? What's your So the little goal in the future.

Yeah, I think so little goal in the future would be to well, firstly, get my breath hold back to like its peak before we go into this season, and then which is three and a half minutes try to get my breath hold up to that and wow, yeah it's so I'm going to do a lot of yeah, a lot of breath work and pool sessions and training the next couple of months, and then I really want to go to Hawaii and I'm just hoping we get to have the chance to surf in the Eddiic event and get to get a wave over there, and.

Yeah, just a few little little things. And Portugal, Yes, Portugal.

I'd love to be able to get confident enough to riding the jet scace so May and Felicity can tell each other into Portugal, which wuld be amazing one day.

So and somehow I know that's gonna happen. But yeah, we're talking about it totally.

I feel like once me and Flick sort of teamed up, it just it really felt like everything that I every sort of fear about not belonging in the surfboard just fell away as well because we've got each other now and you know, we just do it and we have fun doing it, which is when you're doing like a death defying sport, it's like seems weird to just put fun in there, but we're like, you know, there's no point in us doing it, we're not having fun.

Yeah, and you know what, there's something the power of both of you together rather than in competition. Yes, that you're actually supporting each other.

Yes, we were always pitched against each other as well, like our home entire careers. Like I was on the East coast, she was on the West coast. We had the same sponsors. We're doing the same thing. And then we've always like just had the same goals and we always compete against each other. And now we've come together as as team and we're like, it's just women supporting women, and we feel like a powerhouse.

Which is really cool.

Watch this space, Yeah, watch his space. Thank you for coming on extra healthy, no worries. Thank so good to Chelsity well living fearlessly. That is Laura. In fact, she thrives on fear, doesn't she. I hope you were equally inspired by this chat with Laura. If you were, tell us rate and review this podcast. Of course, you can subscribe if you have an idea for an upcoming EP, something you'd like to hear well, a topic you'd like to hear about, or somebody you'd like to hear from, anything else, Just DM me at Felicity Harley across social media. Anything else, head to bodyansoul dot com dotor you grab our print edition, which is annual local Sunday paper. Make sure you are following Body and Soul on social media and thanks again for listening. Stay extra healthy.