Leila Hurst born in 1993 on the island of Kauai was raised amongst the elite of the surfing world….Bruce and Andy Irons and Keala Kennelly to name a few and in the shores of some of the toughest surf brakes in the world. Leila started surfing when she was 3 years old and by the time she was 6, she was hooked. She would run home everyday from school and jump into her dad’s truck so that he could push her into waves in Hanalei Bay. Outside Magazine took note of her in their Big Summer Issue in 2005 showing a picture of then 11 year old Leila and her dad, Rick.

She started competing early and was sponsored by Billabong by the age of 9. Leila did very well and quickly became a part of the Hawaii World Junior team and in 2009 won the NSSA Nationals Explorer Womens. She is such a strong surfer in a male dominated sport that Vanity Fair spotlighted Leila along side of 11 of the top female surfers in their July 2009 issue.

Around this time she signed with Vans and is currently their only female surfer, winning their Vans Triple Crown of surfing “Rookie of the Year” in 2010. She is now 17 years old and holds 3 National titles.

“This last year I cut back on competing so that I could attend public school for my Senior year and go to prom and graduate with my friends, which was great. Now I’m recharged and refocused on my career. I will be moving to California and competing in the US Open and my last Nationals with NSSA and I am super excited. I’m looking forward to traveling and exploring new ways to share my love of the ocean and staying healthy.”