Editor’s Note: The following feature has been created in collaboration with the good folks making Ocean Spray’s PACt
Erica Hosseini wants you to know she really loved her years of traveling the world as a competitive surfer. But she also seems really refreshed to have that chapter of her life closed. It’s not so much a grievance against the former life of a WQS grinder, rather a newfound appreciation for the backbone of her entire career: surfing. And now that she’s no longer tied to a hectic schedule of training for contests she seems perfectly content to see where each day leads her. Besides, it wasn’t too long ago people disappeared from the surf world once they stopped competing. And Erica’s part of the first generation of women professional surfers who can still build out a professional surfer’s career without worrying about contest results. And that makes us really curious to learn what life after the ‘QS has been like. Here are some highlights from that convo, as Erica recounts her last year.
“A decade ago I couldn’t have a career outside of competing. Especially as a woman. It’s difficult enough for guys, but it’s always been that a free surfer could still do well. You’re sponsored, you get photos in the mags or you want to compete on the ‘CT. For the girls, if you weren’t competing you fell off the map fast. You’d lose your name within the industry. And now that’s changed. There are a lot of people who are very well known and successful without competing.”
“I didn’t think any of this through. My decision to stop competing was made for me because of my injury. The tour just kind of passed me by and I had this feeling that I didn’t want to compete and travel with that same intensity. Now I still travel. I still have my sponsors and I still surf everyday. I can work with a lot of different people with surfing as the backbone of it all, and that’s my greatest passion. When I don’t want to do it all anymore then I’ll go down that road. But for now I still get to surf everyday and life is good.”
“There’s just so much more to the surf industry now, especially thanks to social media. Toward the end of my career competing I just watched it (social media) blow up, and there are all these different outlets that you can use to maintain your career as a surfer. You can still work with sponsors, you can take your day to day events and work them into your life as a surfer. It’s no longer you’re a competitive surfer or you’re a photo guy. There are all these layers now that share the lifestyle, share your own personality, build your image, and companies want to back you because of what you represent in this lifestyle.”
“I’ve always worked in entertainment alongside being a professional surfer. Now that part of my life’s not any different I’ve just cut out the competing aspect of it all. I’d say the biggest thing that’s different is I feel like I have a lot of downtime. I’m not so worried about competing and not focusing my energy on where I have to grow surf wise, so I find myself surfing so much more for fun. On the days that I’m working with sponsors or I’ve booked a gig those can get busy, but I have these down days where I can just surf. It can be a Tuesday and I’ll surf three times. And yeah, it’s still work because I consider myself a professional surfer. I still aspire to get great photos, but I’m not so laser focused on competition anymore.”
