Sunshine to Gold with Coco Cairns

Meet Coco Cairns, 18-year-old surfer from the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. Living along this idyllic & wave-rich coastline pushes Coco to surf many different surfboards to suit the conditions (& her creativity), from longboards to shortboards and everything in between. Watch Coco soaking up the Australian dream, surfing the near-endless waves between Noosa Heads to Snapper Rocks.

Tell us about yourself, where are you from & where’s your local beach?

My name is Coco Cairns. I'm 18 years old, raised in Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast. My everyday local spots vary from the long right handers of the Noosa points, to the beach breaks stretching 12km from north Sunshine to Coolum, mostly consistent for 2 foot swells.

What’s your favourite wave to surf & why:

For as long as I can remember my family & friends have been doing strike missions to Double island. Good tunes, a 4x4 and an hours drive up the beach, hiding away from Noosa's crowds you will find Double island Point. Known for its A Frames on the south side and on the right swell, looonnngggggg right handers to the north, DI definitely holds some of my favourite memories of a classic beach day.

Tell us about what boards you like to ride and why:

When it comes to what board I'm riding it really just depends on my mood. I enjoy riding longboards as more of a social thing. Chatting to friends, party waves and a lot of the time falling haha, whereas when I'm on my thruster I'm more switched on and excited. And the fish is the perfect in-between.

Any surfboard shapes you’d like to try in the future?

Heading into this new year I'd love to try out more old second hand boards. After watching the “Girls Can't Surf” movie, I’ve been really inspired by Lisa Andersen’s generation and the boards they rode. I’ve always loved the look of the longer boards ridden through the early 90s. Often my brother and I will head to the tip in hope of finding a hiding gem to take home. I am also interested in trying out finless surfing, there's a few super talented guys from my local area that I often see out. I think this style of surfing isn’t celebrated enough.

Looks like you have been filming a bunch with a part in Champagne Sorbet II & Now a profile edit, can we expect to see more Coco Cairns surf films in the future:

Yes! I love making films!

Any other hidden talents aside from surfing?

I've always enjoyed photography/videography/styling, my friends and I will often hunt down a cool location and make a day out of it. I’ve helped out a couple friends with photographing their campaigns & brands, and editing videos for myself and I'm really enjoying it :)