It doesn’t matter what age you are, surfing is a sport simply about catching waves and having fun. Costa Rican pro surfer Brisa Hennessy took her 80-year-old grandma out to do exactly that during a recent birthday trip to Fiji.
Brisa Hennessy is a professional World Surf League (WSL) surfer who represents Costa Rica internationally in surfing competitions. She grew up in Costa Rica before moving to Oahu, Hawaii to pursue her surfing career. Fiji is Brisa’s happy place. She spends lots of time exploring the best surf spots along the archipelago, which comprises over 300 islands.
In 2020, she qualified for the Toyko Olympics, in the year that surfing made its debut as an Olympic sport. Hennessy was the fifth Costa Rican athlete to qualify for any sport in Tokyo.
Grandma Donna, who shares a close relationship with her granddaughter, managed to find the surf. “I was telling the waves to be nice,” she says in the video. Although apprehensive at first, Donna manages to nail the technique and enjoys a tandem ride on the wave with Brisa. The Instagram reel has 1.7M views.
“This is 80!!!!” Hennessy shared in the post. “It’s never too late to catch a wave, it’s never too late. 🙂 So special sharing my happy place with my grandma.”
Professional surf legend, Kelly Slater, commented on the post: “This is one of the best posts I’ve ever seen”. Slater, 51, is still winning international competitions and is planning to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Brisa shared that her grandma is also a keen artist, cook, and gardener.