A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Effervescent pro surfer from Reunion Island, France; world-ranked #8 in 2015. Defay was born (1993) in Auvergne, France, but moved as a child to Reunion Island, a French island in the Indian Ocean, just east of Madagascar. 

At age 8, Defay was taught to surf by her father, a regular in the world-class lefthand reef waves of St. Leu., Reunion’s premier wave. Defay soon began entering regional and European amateur contests, before stepping up as a teenager to take part in the World Qualifying Series.

Despite success on the Juniors circuit, Defay lost her sponsorships heading into the 2013 season in the continued wake of the surf industry’s tightening during the global recession. She briefly considered quitting pro surfing, but steeled her nerves, continued competing, and won five out of seven European Junior-level events and did well enough in Qualifying Series events to clinch a berth on the World Championship Tour. She financed her travels by working as a waitress in France.

Defay’s 2014 WCT rookie season began with her still lacking a sponsor, until fellow Reunion Island pro surfer Jeremy Flores stepped in to support Defay financially. “She’s a Reunion girl just like me,” Flores told an interviewer, in a charmingly mistranslated quote. “It’s an honor [to help].”

She opened her WCT career as a solid middle-of-the-pack presence on tour, finishing 8th in her rookie campaign. In 2015, Defay came on strong to place third in the powerful reefbreak waves at the Fiji Pro, and backed that up with her first tour win in the U.S. Open of Surfing, beating perennial title threat Sally Fitzgibbons in the final. In 2016, Defay built on her third place performance the year before to defeat reigning world champ Carissa Moore in the 2016 Fiji Pro.

Defay, a dimunitive but solidly-built regularfoot surfs with a heavyfooted power, and shines in powerful reef waves like those she grew up surfing on Reunion. Her bubbly smile and lilting French accent have endeared her to surf fans worldwide. “Johanne Defay’s accent is fucking adorable,” said Beachgrit’s Rory Parker.

Defay, Johanne

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

Encyclopedia of Surfing