Bettylou Sakura Johnson is a young surfer who truly lives and breathes salt water. And that’s no exaggeration. When Bettylou isn’t surfing her homebreak of Hale’iwa, she’s starting to feel out Pipe and Backdoor in search of her perfect barrel. On a warm Wednesday morning, I called Bettylou to conduct our interview and her mom, over the muffled sound of wind, informed me that she was at the beach and that Bettylou was actually surfing. That solidified to me that there were scarce moments in Bettylou’s daily routine that she wasn’t in the water doing what she loved most. I could only smirk and wonder where this talented young woman would be in ten years with even half the dedication that she has now. She is young, fired-up, and has the world at her feet. I feel lucky that I got to sit down and get to know her and her mum, Shinobu Johnson, and the special bond that they share through surfing. Here is our conversation…

Lily: What does it mean to grow up as a surfer in Hawai’i and how has the community or the culture inspired you?

Bettylou: I think growing up on the North Shore in Oahu is very special because of Hawaiian culture. Surfing is from Hawai’i. It's born here and it has evolved into the entire world where everyone has different experiences. I think the community and culture inspired me by showing me many ways to help each other and also it’s mostly about Aloha and sharing to me. And I have lots of love for the culture and what it showed me, especially the connection to the ocean.

Lily: And what does aloha mean to you? If you had a few words to describe the word Aloha, what would they be?

Bettylou: Aloha to me is sharing and caring for each other and respecting others around you and to show appreciation to everyone and love, peace, and compassion.

Lily: Since you've become a pro surfer, how has competing impacted your life and your daily routine?

Bettylou: Competing has made me push myself to be a better surfer and a better person, also to understand a whole different definition of surfing. Competing has become a part of me and I love doing it. I have become more confident since competing.

Lily: Do you feel like you've had to compromise?

Bettylou: No, I haven’t had to compromise, competing has turned kind of into a lifestyle because it is something I look forward to doing and I enjoy it. It keeps me motivated! Always good to be challenging myself.

Shinobu: She is in 9th grade at Waialua High School on the North Shore. She gets in the water sometimes before school and after school so she gets ready for school and then jumps in the water for an hour or so and then goes to school. Education is really important for us. To be in school and have good grades is our goal.

She started gymnastics when she was three until she was thirteen. She competed as a gymnast for a few years. Also she was riding dirt bikes and playing soccer and baseball. She was racing dirt bikes with boys. But surfing came up, that was her thing. She started surfing around age six or seven. She fell in love with surfing and she loved being in the water. We live across the street from one of the most famous surfing competitions, The Triple Crown, from Hale’iwa Beach Park on the North Shore. And that’s where she learned how to surf. Also they have a Menehune surf contest at Ali’i beach which was one of her favorite surf contests (This contest is for under 12 years old).

Lily: That’s beautiful. So it started as a family.

Shinobu: Thank you, yes it started as a family. I pushed her in the water then my husband would catch her on the inside. She would keep coming back to me saying “Push me push me!” She loved it. I still remember we had so much fun spending time in the water. A lot of people ask me about her name. Why did you come up with the name Bettylou? Because it’s an old-fashioned name. But, she was born with the same birthday as my husband’s great-grandmother. March 22nd 2005. So we give her the name from there, her great-grandmother's name.

ST: You know, I was wondering about her name because I have not met someone named Bettylou. And I just thought that that was beautiful.

Shinobu: Thank you so much ! Especially in Hawai’i, I’m from Japan. So she has also a Japanese middle name, she is called ‘Sakura’. And a lot of people call her by that middle name. Sakura means cherry blossom. And she was born in the Spring, so I thought maybe something in Japan that is related to the Spring. So I wanted to share a little about her name.

Lily: Can you describe what it's like to surf Pipe?

Bettylou: I haven’t really surfed big waves at Pipe or Backdoor as much. Only on mellow days just to get used to the reef and feeling out the lineup. I usually surf Backdoor rather than Pipe even though one day I would like to charge at Pipe! I think Pipe and Backdoor are very special spots. It gets huge and heavy. I have so much respect for people who charge Pipe and Backdoor. All of my friends that are boys surf Pipe and seeing them getting barreled makes me want to to do the same! They convince me to go out with them and when we are out there they are always yelling at me, “PULL IN !!!!!!!”

Lily: How does it feel when you're paddling out and sitting in a lineup at Pipe or Backdoor, do you feel anxious at all?

Bettylou: Yes, actually I do get a sense of butterflies, like just watching a massive wave with so much power and energy. It gives you a whole new feeling and a rush of excitement at the same time. So I kind of just want to go with the excitement side and hope for the best.

Lily: How has being a young woman in the lineup empowered you? Do you feel supported by the community around you?

Bettylou: Yes, I do. I feel very supported by everybody, especially my family. I think being one of the only girls in the water and all of the boys pushing me to charge more and surf better is making me a better surfer in general. It pushed me a lot to learn things like if they can do it I can do it too. I’ve always looked at it like that!

Lily: How has your surfing blossomed through the relationship you have with your mom, (who also manages your social media and surf publicity)?

Bettylou: Wow. I feel like our relationship has gotten stronger in a way. It's making us connect more, I feel like, because sometimes I need her help with my social media and sometimes she needs my help in other ways and we just kind of found a bond and worked together and it has helped a lot.

Shinobu : I am very happy that our relationship has gotten a lot closer and more open! We can share that joy together. I'm so happy that she loves the water because it gives her so much freedom. No one tells you what to do in the water, right? It’s a place where she can belong and be herself. I always enjoy being in the water with her. Each moment I want to spend time with her. It just brings us so much joy. I want to always tell her ‘go have FUN. ’ I’m always so stoked to see her in the water and see her smile. I think being in the water is a really nice, healthy lifestyle for her to have. Stay stoked.

Lily: And how does your mom feel about you surfing Pipe?

Bettylou: Um, mom, how do you feel about me surfing Pipe?

Shinobu: Nervous …. but so amazing. Go for it! I have so much respect for those who surf at Pipe.

Lily: What are some of the pressures and the challenges that come with being a pro-surfer at such a young age?

Bettylou: Something that I feel like is really hard is having friends and keeping friends. Especially with competing because you’re competing against some of your best friends and it’s really hard to keep the friendship going. But for me, I haven’t felt that there’s been anything that’s major, it's just something to think about but it hasn’t really affected me anyway which I’m really happy that it hasn’t. It just pushes you and your friends to do better. I don’t really feel pressure either.

Shinobu: I’m sure as she gets older it’s going to be harder. But we try not to push her too much. She is a kid. Being a kid is so awesome and it’s an experience you can’t get back! I'm just here to support and to be positive. Just growing as a young girl and coming to be a teenager, there is a lot going mentally and physically.

Lily: What change do you hope to see or inspire in the future of surfing?

Bettylou: Yes. I hope to change the level of female surfing and to make it better and show that gender doesn’t matter. I just want to show how women's surfing has evolved and improved over the years. And how much better it can be because there's so many young, new girls that are coming up, which is actually inspiring too because back then, there were like no younger female surfers or at least not as many and there's a lot right now, which is really cool to see for the future!

Photo by: Shinobu Johnson

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Mum & Daughter: North Shore's Bettylou Sakura Johnson & Shinobu Johnson