Years and years ago, I was on the North Shore. We sat down at a sushi restaurant in Haleiwa, ordered a few drinks, then stared at the menu for a bit, laughing about the day’s waves while salt water occasionally dripped from our sinuses. When our server came to the table and asked if we’d made a decision yet, I was surprised to see that it was Emi Erickson.
I was surprised because Erickson, in my mind, should not have had to be standing at that table asking us what we wanted to eat. That’s because she was — and is — one of the best big wave surfers in the world. Not just one of the best, but one of the most interesting. She’s a calm person with an easy smile and a kind of languid, casual grace that exists both in and out of the water. She’s different than most big wave surfers in a very particular way, as well: she almost exclusively rides single fins.
Emi’s father is a legend on the North Shore, and his influence is obvious in Emi’s surfing. She, in fact, rides many of his old surfboards. They’re throwbacks from a different time — long, single-fin guns — and those boards and the way they ride are part and parcel of how she performs. Whether it’s huge Jaws or huge Waimea, Emi can often be found smiling ear to ear, paddling out with that easy grace that she has.
Yeti recently pointed the cameras at her for Beyond Sunset, a beautifully shot short film that showcases what Emi Erickson is all about.
Listen to Emi Erickson on The Inertia podcast, here.
