Smith Athlete Johanne Defay started surfing at eight-years-old on Reunion Island, a remote island in the Indian Ocean that’s know for great waves. Warm and beautiful, the island was a great place for the now 20-year-old to begin surfing. After her first competition at ten years old, she quickly moved through the European amateur ranks to eventually take on the WSL World Qualifying Series for the past three years. In 2014 she qualified the World Championship tour and since then she has been surprising everyone with powerful surfing and solid results as well. Her travels as a competitive surfer have taken her around the world to places such as China, Australia, and Africa and the beauty of these places inspired her to create art and her hobby of painting. To her, surfing is her life but her art is a great escape when she finds her constantly chasing her ultimate goal—a world title.