Anastasia Ashley was born in San Clemente, California in 1987 and by the tender age of five had been bitten by the surf bug. The addiction to surfing was further cemented when her family moved to Hawaii not long after. At the age of six, she won her first surf competition, riding a board she had found in the trash near her home.
Throughout her teenage years, Ashley committed herself to competition and becoming a professional surfer. In 2003, aged 16, she received the Triple Crown Rookie of the Year Award. She would also add two National Scholastic Surfing Association championships and a National Title to a glittering competitive CV.
Alongside her competitive results, Ashley was also gaining recognition and coverage for her exploits in big waves, most noticeably at Waimea and Hawaii’s Outer Reefs. She received multiple nominations for the XXL Awards, as well as a wipeout nomination for a brutal wipeout at the Mexican big wave spot Puerto Escondido.
However, as Ashley’s competitive career slowed down in her early twenties, her modeling and business career more than took up the slack. In 2014 she appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and started her Gypsy Jet Set jewelry line in collaboration with OK1984. Numerous TV appearances, including teaching surfing on Hell’s Kitchen, combined with her energy, business acumen, and expertise in social media built a huge fan following. Her Instagram account alone has topped 1M followers.
Yet while she remains committed to building her empire in her own image, at heart she remains the competitive, fearless surfer that started the whole ball rolling. Determined and competitively experienced, she will put it all on the line, be it in Hawaii’s big waves, or at the Surf Ranch. Underestimate her at your peril.