Nocs Naturalist
Katie McConnell
So great to finally feature you on our Digest. We are STOKED! We’d love for you to introduce yourself. Tell us, Katie, where you are and what you’re up to these days?
I’m stoked we finally got to connect! Right now I’m in California visiting some of my closest and oldest friends in Santa Cruz before the Big Wave Challenge Awards and Ohana Fest later this September.
You obviously have a connection with the sea. Tell us some of your early memories of getting out in the water and what first sparked that relationship?
Surfing totally saved my life when I was in high school. I caught my first wave at Cardiff Reef in my hometown of Encinitas and was instantly hooked. Surfing was a way for me to feel healthy, confident, and find peace and community.
Growing up near Cardiff Reef and training as a lifeguard in Santa Cruz, how did those early experiences shape your approach when waves got really heavy?
I actually started out as a California State Lifeguard in North County San Diego before transferring up to Monterey. I was a Slug at UC Santa Cruz, but I think it worked out in my favor that Santa Cruz was full and I had to go down to Monterey. At that time, we were a small team of about 14 guards covering over 50 miles of coastline. So, each of us had the opportunity to become highly trained in a variety of technical rescue operations. Those experiences were foundational for me in maintaining a calm, collected, purposeful, and safety-oriented approach to heavy water situations.
You started charging big waves just a few years ago, yet you've already landed some major victories — what sparked that shift from marine scientist to big-wave surfer?
I grew up listening to my grandfather, who was a peace activist, preaching to me about the importance of living for peace,
justice, and care of the Earth. So, I always loved surfing, but I felt compelled to pursue marine science and conservation
first not just because I loved being in the ocean, but also because of the urgent need to take better care of the ocean and
support underserved communities. It wasn’t until the pandemic that I was out of a job and started teaching surf lessons to get
by. When I saw how happy I could make people through surfing, how I had grown as a surfer, and that I could maybe get by with
giving lessons, I finally gave myself permission to experiment with putting surfing first in my life.
Around the same time, I was living in Northern California where the surf was super heavy, and it took some courage to get in
the water every day. One day, I caught the biggest wave of my life at the time. Soon after, I caught an even bigger one. A
little lightbulb went on, and I thought, “Well, I survived and that was fun. What else can I do?” …And so kicked off another
experiment that has since gotten way out of hand, haha!
You carry multiple roles — surf instructor, marine biologist, teacher in Maui. How does that sense of service and curiosity help you surf big waves with humility and purpose?
For me, surfing big waves has never been about conquering the sea, or any sort of human versus nature type of fantasy.
Although I have discovered through contests that I have a fiercely competitive side of myself, my best sessions and waves have
always been when I am most in harmony with myself and my surroundings, which for me comes from humility, compassion, love,
respect, and, at times, an empty mind.
As I go on in this journey, I’ve gained a deeper understanding that when my time is done in this short life, I really do take
nothing with me. So, what a more fun and creative adventure than to have my life be about making sure that whatever I leave
behind is a gift for whoever comes next?
Community and mentorship matter a lot in big-wave surfing. Who have been your greatest mentors or muses — on or off the wave — and how have they shaped your path?
Gosh, there’s so many. Certain people come to mind at different times. Whether it’s inspiration from surfers like Dave
Rastovich, Tom Lowe, Andrea Moller, Paige Alms, Twig, Greg Long, or artfully anonymous underground corelords… For me right
now, Keala Kennelly is the real O.G. I am yet to know of a woman who sends it as hard as she does, as well as she does, and
with as much courage – both in and out of the water. KK not only paved the way through her radical surfing, she also made the
road easier for women like me because she worked hard and unapologetically for equity in women’s surfing. There’s still work
to be done, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without the perseverance that she and many women have put in across multiple
generations.
Also, Gary Linden was one of the first to see something in me surfing big waves. I had ordered a gun from him, which became a
gateway board into big wave surfing, and he later saw photos of me on some waves and offered to shape me another iteration.
He’s the original creator of the late Big Wave World Tour and the new Big Wave Alliance, so it has been amazing to learn from
both his experience in the surf industry and his years of experience shaping boards, riding them to victory in several
contests.
The women’s Red Bull Magnitude and Thriller at Killers events have been pivotal in your story. How have these platforms changed the narrative around female big-wave surfing — and inspired you?
The Red Bull Magnitude was an amazing event for women big wave surfers in Hawai’i in that for up to 3 days with waves in the
30-foot face range in the season, Red Bull would send out safety skis and videographers to film our best waves. Whoever had
the best 3 waves by the end of the season– according to a judging panel with heavyweights like Kai Lenny, Ian Walsh, Rochelle
Ballard, and others– would take the win.
The whole setup was such a genius incubator for progression not just because we had support to get out and surf (FYI: paying
for safety skis and clips can easily run $500-$1000+ per session, and one of the best ways to learn is through video
analysis), but also because we were surfing in a public space: it was one of the first times in any big wave lineup that the
ratio of men and women was 50/50, or sometimes even more women, marking a distinct cultural shift. Plus, since it was a
content-driven event, and Red Bull Media House did such an epic job communicating the prowess of all the hard-charging women
athletes, we were able to stake some long-overdue respect for women both in and out of the water, and hopefully the next gen
will have an easier path by which to surpass us.
We’re all sad that it didn’t run last year, but maybe one day it will return in an evolved format! Eternally grateful to
Kaikea Elias, the brains behind it, and Red Bull for listening to Kaikea and going for it.
Similarly, the Thriller at Killers event at Todos Santos was a giant leap forward for women’s big wave surfing. From
2009-2019, there had been a Big Wave World Tour, but never any “tour” for women. Starting in 2016, the WSL included a women’s
semifinals and a final heat at the final Pe’ahi/Jaws championship event, although it still took until 2018 for women to win
equal pay in surfing. Including women in a live event at Todos (which had never been done before!) at the dawn of what will
hopefully become a new world championship series is super exciting for both big wave surfing and women… Lest we forget that
Gender Equality is the United Nations’ Goal #5!
You’ve witnessed both breathtaking waves and a lot of environmental fragility in your days. How do those dual perspectives—surfer and scientist—inform what you're fighting for today?
Surfing not only tunes me in to my connectedness with everything, it also helps me not give up when science shows that we are destroying ourselves and the whole world with our greed. Both surfing and science have given me the opportunity to travel, know other ecosystems and cultures, look straight at the severity of the risks we face on Earth, yet cultivate empathy and unite with people (especially indigenous nations) who both know how and still believe we can pass on an abundant, biodiverse, and fair future to future generations.
Looking forward, what’s a ritual, place, or wave that keeps you energized and connected to the big-wave dream—especially during those long waits between swells?
There’s nothing like visiting my friends in Northern California. When I went to school in Santa Cruz, I lived in this old, off-kilter farmhouse with a bunch of guys up the coast a little ways, and to this day they are like my closest family. There’s nothing better than going back to my old home and reconnecting with my roots– fun surfs in the kelp, simple times, and a little bit of harmless trouble.
We’re stoked that Nocs are in your toolkit! How would Nocs gear like the new compact pouches and our optics fit into your workflow on the water?
Nocs have been in my toolkit for a while! As safety frameworks for surfing at Nazaré evolve, Nocs are critical equipment for
cliff spotters to have an eye on surfers and keep the whole team informed and safe.
Back in Maui, I love taking the lightweight ZoomTube down to the cliffs at Jaws. It’s so easy to toss it in the special pouch
and sling it over my shoulder for a quick bike or jog down the trail for a surf check. They are also small enough to fit in
the front compartment of the jetski.
On this stopover in Santa Cruz, the ZoomTube gives us just enough magnification to see around to the next point, and decide
where we’ll score next.
We’d love to stay in touch! What’s going on in the upcoming months, where can we find you and join in the fun?
Big wave season in the northern hemisphere is knocking on the door. I’m excited to head back to my little spot in Maui to get
ready for Jaws, but I will for sure be keeping a close eye on the Nazaré forecast for the right moment to strike to Portugal
for some giant, sidewinding teepees.
Also, I’ve just joined the board at the Earth Society Foundation, a nonprofit my grandfather started back in 1970 with
anthropologist Margaret Meade. With the ESF I will be helping coordinate a global Minute for Peace on the next spring equinox,
carrying on a 55-year+ tradition of ringing the Peace Bell at the United Nations. So, mark your calendars for Friday March 20,
2026 at 10:46am ET and join us from wherever you are to take a synchronized Minute for Peace in the spirit of global unity and
peace, justice, and care of the Earth. It’s gonna be lit!
Find out more by following me at @keiti_mar on Instagram or on the newly
created @theearthsocietyfoundation account.
