“I don’t surf to win contests,” said Caitlin Simmers. Shame, because she’s pretty good at it.

“I surf to get barreled and get perfect waves with my brother,” she added. A reminder of the humble character she is.

At just 18-years-old and in only her second year on the CT, Caity has already become a world champion, won Rookie of the Year, competed in the Olympics and released two major surf films.

To celebrate her victory at the WSL Final Five, the Oceanside surfer’s sponsor O’Neill just dropped a short hype reel to remind us of the cool cat that Caity truly is.

When I covered Finals day last week, I did my best to sum Caity up:

She is a unique character, a one-of-a-kind enigma who is a breath of fresh air, not just to women’s surfing, but professional surfing as a whole. She may also have single-handedly made the F-bomb an approved term for mainstream athletes.

As for what is next for her, these were my thoughts:

As for Caity, I think this is the start of something special. She is leading the Gen-Z charge in women’s surfing which is consistently being pushed to new heights year-on-year. Any doubts over the competitive fire in Simmers’ belly have been put to rest. However, I think the 18-year-old can do whatever she wants. She has the ability to win more world titles, she’s got the style and editing skills to become a free surfer and she has the bravery to push women’s surfing to new heights in waves of consequence.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy and celebrate the 18-year-old for the raw, special surfing talent and wonderful human being that she is.