Malia Manuel (born August 9, 1993) is a Hawaiian professional surfer. She won Rookie of the Year in 2012 and was ranked 5th on the 2014 ASP World Tour. In 2008, at the age of 14 she became the youngest surfer ever to win the U.S. Open of Surfing.

Early life

Manuel was born in Wailua, Hawaii and is of

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

descent. She graduated from

Kapaa High School Kapaa High School is a public high school in Kapaʻa, Hawaii on the island of Kauai. It is a part of the Hawaii State Department of Education. History Established in 1883 under the reign of King David Kalākaua, the school was first built dir ...

and the

American College of Healthcare Sciences The American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is a private for-profit online college headquartered in Portland, Oregon, that specializes in holistic health education. It was founded in 1978. History ACHS began in 1976 as the extramural or ...

. She hails from a lineage deeply connected to Hawaiian culture and the ocean, with roots in Hanalei Bay tracing back several generations. Her family's connection to the land and sea became the cornerstone of her journey into professional surfing.

Modeling & Brand Collaboration

Manuel has been sponsored by several brands and appeared in advertisements and photo shoots. She made her debut in the ''Sports Illustrated'' swimsuit issue in 2020. Malia collaborated with Lululemon on her first fashion line, focusing on swimwear designed for performance and comfort. The collection features pieces like the "Will the Wave" top and bottom, which offer security and flat seams to cater to the needs of active surfers and ocean enthusiasts. Malia co-founded
the sclpt co
' in 2023. Their mission is to promote health and wellness by naturally enhancing workouts and recovery techniques, aiming to sculpt the mind, body, and spirit through conscious practices.

Surfing Career Highlights

* 2019 - 2nd

Rip Curl Pro The Rip Curl Pro, formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, is a WSL (formerly ASP) World Tour surfing competition held in and around Torquay, Victoria and sponsored by surf company Rip Curl. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australi ...

Bells Beach * 2019 - 3rd Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast * 2018 – 2nd Beachwaver Maui Pro *2017 - 1st Australian Open of Surfing (

Manly, New South Wales Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the Local government in Australia ...

) * 2016 – 2nd Van’s US Open * 2014 – Ranked 5th on the World Surf League Tour * 2014 – WQS 6star, Merewether Surf Fest Champion * 2013 – ASP World Rankings Champion * 2013 – WQS 6star, SuperGirl Pro Champ * 2012 – ASP Women’s Rookie of The Year * 2011 – Top Qualifier for the Elite ASP Women’s World Tour * 2011 – WQS 6star,

Azores Islands The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atlant ...

Champion * 2011 – WQS 6star, Pantin Spain Champion * 2011 – Cover of ''TransWorld'' Surf Magazine (2nd female ever) * 2010 – Hawaii World Team member * 2009 – Hawaii World Team member * 2009 – US Open Junior Women's Champ * 2009 – Junior Women Regional Champ * 2009 – VQS Champion * 2008 – Youngest US Open Champ * 2008 – International Grom Search Champ * 2008 – Junior Women Regional Champ * 2008 – Hawaii World Team Member * 2008 – NSSA National champ Explorer Womens * 2007 – NSSA Middle School girls National Champion * 2006 – NSSA Open Women runner up * 2005 – Hawaii World Team member * 2004 – Surfing America Champion National Title

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Malia 1993 births Living people American surfers People from Kauai Sportspeople from Kauai County, Hawaii American female surfers Female models from Hawaii American people of Native Hawaiian descent 21st-century American sportswomen