Kiara Perenzin

Surfing makes me feel alive

There’s something about surfing that reaches far beyond just riding waves. As a beginner, stepping into the ocean felt overwhelming at first — the endless movement, the unpredictable power of the water, the countless falls. But strangely, it was in those moments of struggle that I felt most alive.

Each wipeout became a lesson, not just in technique, but in resilience. The ocean doesn’t care if you're tired, scared, or unsure; it simply is. And in facing it, I had to meet myself — my limits, my fears, my persistence. Every small improvement was a victory carved from surrendering to the challenge rather than fighting it. Surfing taught me that progress doesn't come from controlling the wave, but from learning to move with it.

There’s something deeply humbling and freeing about realizing you are just a small part of something so vast. Each session in the water became a quiet conversation between me and the world: trust, adapt, flow.

And then, after days of paddling, falling, trying again, something shifted. I paddled into a wave — not white water, not foam, but a real, rolling, clean green wave — and for the first time, I stood, gliding with it, feeling the ocean's pure energy lift and carry me.

It wasn’t just surfing a wave. It was riding a moment of life itself.