Caity Simmers
Photos: Jimmy Wilson, Ryan Nell, Gui Martins.
What can be said about Caity Simmers that hasn’t already been said about rock and roll, milkshakes, and electric vehicles?
She’s the shit, the coolest, the next big thing. When I ask the old heads about Caity Simmers, their grumpiness evaporates from their sun-wrinkled faces and they elate, ‘oh, she’s the sickest thing out right now’, which in all honesty, sounds like enormous pressure. Imagine that for a moment: the old heads, the OG’s, saying they look at you with impressed and adoring eyes. Sounds like a nightmare for the anxious, but Caity handles it well it seems. She’s got it more together in and out of the water than we do. Especially considering she’s essentially a child. She’s like, what, 11? Oh, 17? We were close enough. Excited to see what you get up to, Caity.
Who are you?
Caity Simmers. 17 years old.
What do you do?
I surf.
How long have you been doing that?
Uhh maybe around ten years, started boogie boarding super young and then surfed. I went through a bunch of sports before I started loving surfing. I was pretty much always around the beach because my parents loved it. I used to hate the beach.
What is your favourite song right now and why?
I feel like my favourite song changes everyday, I listen to a lot of music. I’ve been loving Siouxie and The Banshees and Erykah Badu and then some Tribe Called Quest. My favourite song right now is probably ‘Angel from Montgomery’ by Bonnie Raitt, there’s just something about her voice and she’s a badass ginger.
If you weren’t surfing what would you be doing?
Realistically I’d be in school and going to prom haha. I like skating and filming/editing things, so maybe something to do with that.
Some slang you catch yourself saying?
I say ‘but yah’ a lot, and ‘I don’t know’ way too much. There was a WSL interview and I probably said ‘I don’t know’ fifteen times, I really don’t know a lot of the time
What do you do outside of surfing and how does that thing influence or affect your craft?
I like to edit so I end up watching my clips over and over again, I feel like it makes me more conscious of how my surfing looks and I can critique myself I guess.
The best/worst thing about the surfing industry?
The surf industry is all about who you know, which kinda sucks unless you know people. In the beginning, it’s hard to get noticed unless your parents or friends know people in the industry. When I first started getting serious about surfing I didn’t know anyone and it was pretty frustrating seeing people around me getting sponsored and we didn’t really know how the surf industry worked.
Something you’re most proud of?
I’m pretty proud about my movie, Toasted, that I made and put out a couple months ago (with the help of Stab producing). I’ve had some little girls come up and tell me they liked it and it makes me super happy! For sure makes all the hours put into it worth it.
Biggest lesson learned about your craft so far?
The ocean can make you feel so unimportant and powerless, definitely teaches you to be mindful. You’re just in the middle of nature.
Something anyone can do today to make the world a better place?
I feel like being a nicer person isn’t that hard. Me and my brother were talking about this the other day. It’s pretty easy to ask someone how their day was and the things you do can affect the people around you. Something I need to work on.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome so far in your industry?
I would say competitive surfing is super challenging, so probably making the tour would be one of the biggest challenges I’ve had. Definitely requires a lot more than being skilled on a surfboard to do well I feel like you have to be pretty strong-minded, which is hard sometimes.
What was surprisingly easy to do?
Eating spicy chips and scrolling on Instagram.
What advice might you give to you from five years ago?
Have fun, read books.
What is your hidden talent or thing you are good at that is completely unrelated to the thing we are interviewing you about?
It used to be catching lizards. Now it’s editing but I still wouldn’t say I’m particularly talented at it yet.
Who do you think is doing it the best/coolest in your industry right now?
Yago Dora is the coolest dude and is one of my favourite surfers.
“The ocean can make you feel so unimportant and powerless, definitely teaches you to be mindful. You’re just in the middle of nature.”
Is there a secret to psyching out your competition in comps?
I wish there was. Or maybe there is I just haven’t figured it out. I need to work on not psyching myself out first.
What’s a goal that you’re working towards?
Being a better person and getting better at competitive surfing! Also putting out surf edits.
Is there pressure to be Caity Simmers right now?
I feel like I have a lot of pressure from everyone but it could be I’m just putting a lot of pressure on myself. I’m lucky to have pretty laid back parents so they don’t pressure me which is cool.
What do you want to see more of in surfing?
I’d like to see more girls doing airs and putting out surf videos.
