Dr. Sarah Gerhardt mother, surfer, and chemist. The first woman to surf the monstrous break known as Mavericks near Half Moon Bay. "Gerhardt, 36, doesn’t consider herself a thrill seeker. Her pursuit of big-wave surfing is about “carpe diem,” she says.
She is married to renown big-wave surfer Mike Gerhardt. Together they have traveled the world to ride giant waves.
These days, though, the surf trips are closer to home.
“I surf frequently close to home in Santa Cruz, and my husband and I are taking our kids out with us. It’s so fun to be in the ocean with them and see it from their perspective,” she said.
Surfing has played a key part in Gerhardt’s life.
“I was already into sports and was planning on trying out for the volleyball and basketball team in high school as a freshman, but after I started surfing it was the only sport I wanted to do,” she said. “I spent as much free-time that I had on surfing. It kept me focused and away from partying, because I wanted to be able to surf before school and after school and there wasn’t any time for a hangover."
“I don’t talk about this much,” Sarah said in an interview with CoastViews Magazine, “but I was raised a Christian and it is the core of my strength; it’s true north for me. … That’s definitely what acts as a foundation for my life, and teaches me, and sees me through surfing, parenting … everything.”