Mia Moore , riding in the green room

Moore is currently ranked No . 17 in the World Surf League Women ’ s Qualifying Series , with recent competitions in Florida and Barbados as well as locally in Huntington Beach and up the coast in Pismo Beach , California .

“ I love competing ,” she says . “ It ’ s been really fun to compete because it helps me to push myself and my surfing . I haven ’ t been competing for super long and I ’ m working on getting better results . I have been learning a lot recently and I ’ m excited to continue improving .

“… My goal in surfing is to fulfill my dream of doing what I love for a living . I want to make it to the highest level of the sport . I want to inspire people . I love competing … so I ’ ll see where that takes me .”

Moore ’ s dad taught her to surf when she was younger . “ When I moved to Laguna [ six years ago ], I really found my passion for it and started surfing every day .” She loves the feeling of being in the ocean and riding waves . “ There ’ s nothing like it ,” she says . “ It ’ s hard to explain , but it clears my mind and helps me to let go and just have fun in the water .”

Moore surfs with the Laguna Board Riders Club , which goes up against teams from other

GO-TO PLACE IN TOWN “ I go to MoonGoat Coffee almost every day . It ’ s my favorite coffee in the world . The Churro Latte is unbeatable . I also sell my jewelry at Treasures [ of Laguna ] and Laguna Exchange . They ’ re both really cool stores . Laguna Surf & Sport is my go-to surf shop and I love surfing Thalia and hanging out at Crescent Bay .” FAVORITE LOCAL SURF SPOT “ My favorite places to surf change as the waves change . My brother and I surf all over . I love surfing in Laguna . I ’ m a goofy footer , so when Brooks Street gets good and the waves are fast and steep lefts , that ’ s my favorite . … Laguna is centered in the middle of San Clemente and Huntington Beach , so there ’ s a lot of spots to go close by for all the different swells .” BUCKET LIST SURF DESTINATION “ My dream trip right now is to go to Indonesia . I want to take a boat and find some really fun waves on different islands . Or go back to Fiji .” HER BOARD “ I love riding Timmy Patterson —[ T . Patterson ]— surfboards . I really appreciate the support they give me [ and ] the boards work perfectly . My favorite is the i5 gold and the Pool Party Two .” OTHER HOBBIES “ I ’ m a huge fan of UTL —[ Underwater Torpedo League ]— at Deep End Fitness [ in San Clemente ]. I ’ m one of the instructors there . I go every week . It ’ s a … class that ’ s centered around water confidence and water safety . … You learn to regulate your stress in and out of the water and push yourself .”

LEFT : BRIAN CONLEY ; BOTTOM : JASON KENWORTHY

cities in the region . “ What I like about it is that it brings our community together ,” she says . “ We are all on the beach , supporting each other . It ’ s really fun .”

But she doesn ’ t only surf locally and has been to some impressive destinations lately . “ I just got back from Mexico and … the East Coast and Barbados for some surf comps ,” she says . “ We got some really fun waves and it was awesome . We love exploring all over in California and I have been to Fiji and Hawaii with my family . I ’ m lucky to get to travel to these places and I ’ m looking forward to getting to see more of the world .”

And Moore has a flair for the creative , jazzing up her surfboard with vines and plumeria flowers using paint pens and making jewelry for her small business , Sandbar Creations . She ’ s also into sewing , often posting her latest projects on social media , from zipper bags to a surf backpack , cute tops and even a bucket hat . “ I love taking old clothes , and clothing that I [ find at ] thrift [ shops ], and sewing them into something new ,” she explains .

But her talents don ’ t stop there . Moore also sings and has played guitar off and on since she was 10 . “ Me and my brother play music together and that makes it really fun ,” she says . “ Everything is better with music . I like all genres . … I write my own songs , and have three unreleased tracks that eventually I will use in a surf film that I want to make .”

When not surfing or creating , she can often be found outdoors in Laguna . “ I love hiking here with my mom ,” she says . “ I also love exploring all the coves and swimming around the rocks . It ’ s so beautiful .”

Moore carves up a wave .

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