Surfers their stories: Kat Charles

Kat’s earliest memories of the ocean come from time spent on her father’s boat, sea biscuiting (being towed in an inner tube behind the boat) and falling out of the boat and “freaking out about sharks”.

Kat started body boarding when she was about 14 years of age, moving on to surfboards about the time she left High School.

The wave knowledge and ocean sense she had developed body boarding helped in the transition to stand up surfing which for her evolved at spots around Yallingup on boards borrowed from friends.

“I also surfed a lot at places like The Farm, Smiths and Margaret River”.

Twenty six year old Kat spent some time in surf shops to help fund some extensive travels that saw her spending time as a surf coach in the South of France and working as a surf guide in Morocco.

She moved from the west coast to settle at Australia’s eastern most point, Byron Bay.

Being a surfer has allowed me to work and travel and see so many places around the world."

There is a strong synthesis of surfing and creativity in Byron Bay and that is something Kat has happily embraced.

“There is such a strong surfing/art community in Byron that has allowed me to express my work” says Kat who splits her time between various creative outlets inspired by her surfing.

Kat is an artist and photographer rides a skateboard when the surf goes flat and also plays drums, carrying on a family music tradition as her father also played in a band.

“Surfing brought me to the coast and has connected me with the ocean and its energy. Being a surfer is grounding, humbling and beautiful. It creates such an incredible lifestyle and attracts really good people with good spirits and respect for nature, surfing has set me on a good path for life.

I have learnt so much about being comfortable in the ocean, it is such an intense energy that is always changing. I have learnt that it is a place I can go that makes me feel free and always will give you that moment that can change your whole day. I surf a lot by myself and I really like it that way”.

Of course this can create some tricky situations...

“The first time I surfed Coxos in Portugal no one was out definitely for a reason. The sets closed out the bay, in the end the high tide push completely shut off the keyhole in the rocks so getting in was really, really scary, especially as the sun had set and it started getting dark”.