Anastasia Ashley is the definition of total package. Not only is she one of the most gorgeous female big wave surfers in the game, she’s also a fashion model and a social media personality. Born on the 10th of February, 1987 in California, she’s known for becoming the champion of Professional Surfing Tour of America. But there’s a lot more things that you might not know about this star. Check them out below!
She Started Surfing At Age 6
At age 6, not many people know much about themselves. But for Ashley, it was a turning point. She was just 6 when she first started surfing. She would go surfing daily before and after school. At that time, her mom could not afford to buy Ashley her own board, so she would just borrow from neighborhood boys.
“I really wanted my own board but my mom couldn’t afford to buy me one — they are pretty expensive — so I would borrow my guy friends’ boards,” recalled Ashley to ESPNW.
What’s more impressive about her is she did not only start surfing at 6, but she also joined a competition and won.
One day, young Ashley came across a 6-feet long piece of trash that tuned out to be a treasure.
“I found an abandoned surfboard outside of our house in front of a trash can,” Ashley said. “It was about six-feet-long, very beat up and super ugly. Boards are normally white, but this one was yellow from being in the sun and old. I tried to make it look nicer by cleaning it up and taking off some of the stickers. But I didn’t care too much how it looked. It was my board.”
That board helped then 6-year-old Ashley sign up for her first surf competition, which she actually won. This experience has also become Ashley’s confirmation on what she wanted to do. That is, surfing.
By age 10, Ashley started competing in amateur events. She used to compete against women two and a half times her age.
“The girls I had to go up against were substantially older than me, so I entered a few boys contests to compete with people my own age,” Ashley recalled to ESPNW. “I actually beat a few guys who are pros now, so that’s kind of funny.” When asked to list a few names, she simply laughed and said, “I think they all remember who they are.”
Today, she has won over 200 events and has become to be one of the most followed surfers on social media.
She Appeared In Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition In 2014
The big wave pro surfer has not only taken the surfing sport like a storm, she has graced the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2014. She’s included as one of three athletes; WNBA standout Skylar Diggins U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan are the other two.
She Got Thousands Of Bug Bites On ‘Naked And Afraid’
This pro surfer model experienced a terrible experience with bugs. She got thousands of bug bites on Discovery’s ‘Naked and Afraid.’ Ouch!
“Being attacked from a swarm of freshly hatched bugs that decided I was their host while naked in the jungle, with nowhere to hide is really the worst experiences of my life,” Ashley told Entertainment Weekly. “It was pure torture. We wanted to jump in the fire to try to end the itching. Luckily we didn’t.”
She’s Into Living Healthy
This is not a surprise for everyone because Ashley is an athlete. She believes that our “health and wellness is your most important to living healthy and being happy”.
The athlete has other physical activities aside from surfing. She does SoulCycle and Pilates.
“I am loving SoulCycle,” once told by Ashley in an interview with Living Healthy. “I’ve been a long time fan of spinning forever, but the classes there always seem to be on point with the best workouts and music, and making you feel like your not even working out more like your at a dance club. I really love Pilates also it’s my best workout for getting toned super fast.”
Ashley also shared her best living healthy habit and that is, being positive.
“My best living healthy habit is definitely being positive and always looking at things with the glass half full motto. I think my biggest motivations have been being positive and pushing myself when I’ve felt down and making myself work out no matter what!”
