Kelia Moniz is from Oahu and comes from a family of surfers. Her father Tony falls into the "legends" category. Her mom, Tammy, is very active with the family business, Faith Surf School. Kelia also has four brothers, hence the nickname, "Sister." She's sponsored by Quiksilver/Roxy, travels the world, and has had some great contest results surfing against the best women longboarders in the world. But the best thing about watching Kelia surf is seeing how much fun she's having, always smiling. And she's so stylish and smooth. Surely we'll be seeing more of her in the years to come, here's a little more backstory:
What's the latest?
The year has been really busy. I've been blessed with the opportunity to be involved in Roxy's seasonal campaigns, so I've been traveling a ton and shooting their new product all over the world.
When you're not traveling where do you spent most of your time surfing?
I was born and raised on the south side of Oahu, so typically I love to get as much water time as I can there. So Waikiki, Kewalos and Ala Moana Bowls would be some of my favorite home spots. With all my traveling, I have been to some pretty incredible waves. My favorites would have to be Indonesia and Mexico.
How much traveling are you doing?
I've definitely been racking up the miles. In the last year I've been to Indo, China, France, California, the Cook Islands, New York, and I'm probably missing a few trips in there somewhere.
Do you do any contests or is it just all free surfing stuff?
I would call myself a freesurfer, but I do like to throw on a jersey every now and again. I'll surf about four contests a year, that's plenty.
Who's your favorite surfer?
My brother, Seth Moniz.
How old are your brothers and where do you fit in?
I'm the second oldest. I have an older brother who is 20, and three younger ones who are 17, 15 and 14. We are all really tight. Being raised in homeschool we spent more time together than the average family. Some think it's kind of strange that we've never been to "real" school before, but I think it's lucky to have a mother who dropped everything to educate us.
And everybody just calls you "Sister." Any secret to how that came about?
I think the only thing behind the whole nickname is that I'm like a sister to not only my brothers, but to a lot of friends. And my name can be a little difficult for people to remember and pronounced, so "Sister" just works for everyone. I love it.
What about your family's Faith Surf School?
My dad started a surf school out of our 15-passenger van about six or seven years ago. He worked his butt off to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. And now the business has expanded through all of Waikiki. He has four surf stands and business now. It's going really well. All his hard works has paid off and now he's been able to travel more with my brothers and help coach them at events.
I've heard your favorite surf story involves your dad teaching a guy with no arms or legs how to surf?
Yeah, watching my dad teach him ow to surf was pretty crazy. The look on his face when he go up on the wave was priceless. And I know the experience for my dad was just as special.
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