Cold Seas: Lydia Ricard

Written by Leslie Carvitto and All Photos by talented photographer Bryanna Bradley

When my video chat with Lydia opens, I see her reclined in a hammock, sun-drenched with wet hair and a huge smile on her face. It’s not exactly what I expected considering she lives in Tofino, Canada, a place known for its fierce winter storms and chilly temperatures. 

But Lydia is relaxing in El Salvador, savoring the last bit of her two-month journey that’s taken her back to Montreal (where she’s from) and on to warmer waters in Central America.

Lydia grew up in Montreal, Canada and her first surf experience happened in Costa Rica when she was 21. She and a friend randomly decided to take surf lessons while they were there, and like so many of us, she was hooked from the first wave. 

She returned to Montreal to begin her second year of nursing school but mentally, she was thousands of miles away thinking about future surf trips. Less than three weeks after arriving home, she found out she had mononucleosis. Forced to take a break from school until she got better, this space from her studies gave her a chance to reflect on what she really wanted. Intuitively, she felt something wasn’t right. 

A few months after getting better, a friend’s friend unexpectedly invited her on a cross country trip to BC. It was a “once in a lifetime chance” that would allow her to travel across the country for free. The answer to this question was clearly YES. Lydia moved out of her apartment, stored the little she had with her parents (with the intention of coming home after the trip to begin school again), and hit the road.

On the way to BC, they heard about the small surf town Tofino located on Vancouver Island.  At the time, Lydia had no idea surfing even existed in Canada. They changed course to check it out, and six years later, Lydia still calls the small town of 2,000 people home.

Already obsessed with surfing, she began to build her life around it, starting with a 6 am wake up call every day to get a surf in before work. That consistent water time led to a quick progression of skills and an intro to other surfers in the community. After watching the Queen of the Peak competition (which takes place in Tofino), she took her commitment a step further and signed up for her first competition. For Lydia, the competition was never about winning. It was about learning. Surrounding herself with better surfers helped her push herself. Competition was simply the motivator for getting better. For the next four years, Lydia competed locally two times a year. The most challenging part of the competition for her wasn’t the surf, it was navigating her own emotions. 

When I asked her what she remembered about her first competition, Lydia said, “It was terrifying and I wanted to puke the whole time. The waves were big, or big for me at the time. I was so so nervous. I was with two other girls that were also competing for the first time and we were all looking at each other like, what are we doing? What’s happening?! But it was really fun. Once the twenty minutes were over I was really happy I did it.” (And in case you were wondering, she didn’t end up puking.)

The Queen of the Peak competition led to more relationships in and out of the water, including a friendship with Krissy, owner of Surf Sisters. She offered Lydia a surf coach job which she accepted a few months later. Now surrounded by passionate female surfers, Lydia became even more dedicated and determined with improving her technique and entering more competitions. 

Her devotion has paid off. In 2019, she competed in her first two international surf competitions, the Mexilog Festival and the World Longboard Championships in France. She’ll be heading back to Mexilog Festival this year and will add Spain to her travel log for the 2nd annual Ferrolog Surfing Invitational.

Despite an increasing competition schedule, Lydia says it’s not something she wants to do long term, but the experience she’ll gain in competitions will help her accomplish her ultimate goal of becoming a longboarding coach. She’s already started an online coaching program (Single Fin Sessions)  that allows surfers to send her video so she can respond with feedback, and give advice on what to work on. 

Her biggest advice when it comes to getting better at surfing? Besides the obvious instruction of practicing and surrounding yourself with more experienced surfers, she tells her students to be kind to themselves. “The biggest thing that can hinder you from learning is being too hard on yourself. It distracts you from learning, and its already a hard sport to learn. Be patient and be kind to yourself.” 

We wish Lydia the best of luck in her competitions in this year, and we’re excited to announce that Lydia will be hosting a workshop with Surf Sister during our Tofino Creative Surf Retreat this summer. Join us June 14-21st, 2020.