Dream Big Make Waves with Nikki Van Dijk

Growing up on Phillip Island, Australia, Nikki mastered surfing at a young age with her surf-stoked siblings and dad. She was 13 when she started competing, and regularly beat the boys. During her final year of school, she raced to Bali to clinch the World Junior Championship and joined the World Tour in 2014.

When she’s not on the water, Nikki’s spreading awareness for equal pay within the surf world—and for women everywhere. In 2019, the World Surf League became the first American-based global sports league to offer gender pay equality—meaning equal prize money for male and female surfers.

"Surfing is at the forefront of such an incredible movement in life,"
says Nikki. "Equal pay for surfing is just the beginning."

If Nikki wasn’t a pro surfer, she may actually have been a pro hairdresser! Growing up, she always loved doing hair (she used to practice braiding on her older sister), and Nikki believes that looking good ultimately helps us feel good. “Our hair is how we express ourselves, and hairdressers get to be creative and bring out this beauty in other people. I love that hair can make someone feel beautiful, confident, and empowered.”