Krushe feature of the week - Christy Baker

Where are you from? Middletown, Rhode Island

What's your favorite Nickname? Hmmm…I don’t have any good one’s Jessica. I think like C-Bake or Baker.
When did you start surfing? 7th grade.

There's surf in Rhode Island? Yeah, but I only surfed when the weather was warm. In Rhode Island there’s snow on the ground and you have to wear booties and hoodies. I wore all my brothers stuff and he is nine years older than me, so nothing really fit. My brother was doing it so I thought it was cool.

Long or short board? Both

…or SUP (stand up paddle)? I like that too.

What are you riding right now? 5’10” fish, quad fin. I love that board.

What is it about surfing that draws you in? Well there are two things. One, is because I grew up at the beach and I just liked being in the water. I played sports growing up and I think it’s really cool to be able to combine the two together. The second one is because I grew up watching my brother and I looked up to him. I wanted to hang out, so I learned how to surf.

At what point did you decide that the action sports industry was for you? It’s been something I have been interested in since before I went to college -- I used to subscribe to Wahine magazine. I think I was like 15 years old. I knew that I wanted to work for a girls surf mag. I wanted to be a part of it. That was my goal.


You worked at SG magazine for a while? How was that? It was f****** rad. I landed an internship in their editorial department. I was able to go to the U.S. Open of surfing to cover the Jr. Girls competition. [I] Watched Coco Ho and Carissa Moore shred. They are 17 or 18 now and I interviewed them when they were 12.

Now you work for Surf Diva. When did you start working there? I started working for Surf Diva in the summer of 2001 when I was 17, about to be a senior in high school. I moved out to San Diego from Rhode Island, to live with my sister for the summer. I worked for Surf Diva for free as the Beach Diva.

I was a beach Diva too! I know, we're like the Baker girls.
I was the only girl that surfed in Rhode Island so to be surrounded by a bunch of girls surfing; it blew my mind. Once I graduated from college, I got your typical 9-6 job working for a sunglasses company and I was stuck in a cubical all day. I hated it. Even though it was a good job, I told Izzy (owner of Surf Diva) and she offered me a job as the head coordinator for their surf school in Costa Rica. So, I told my boss at the sunglasses company and he jokingly, but probably jealously said “fine, go ahead and be a surf instructor your whole life”.


So you were the Surf Camp Coordinator/ Director of the surf school in Costa Rica? Fancy. How were the ticos? Flirtatious, but they were fun to surf with. They are the best surfers I have ever seen. They’re crazy, they leap out of the air--because they’re small dudes--they are like...Hey, I gotta watch what I say, I don’t want to be like John Mayer. [laughs] The girls are really good surfers too. There are not many, but they are really good.

You spent time in Costa Rica heading up their girls clinics and now you are starting the first Surf Diva camp in LA? You are a pioneer for Surf Diva. Ya, well I wanted to help Surf Diva expand. They have been wanting to do LA for a while and I told them that I’d be on board, so here I am.

Where is it at? They say Venice Beach but it’s really North of Marina Del Rey. It’s a cool spot to have a surf camp though because there are a lot of cool restaurants, bars and shops. If the students want somewhere to grab a drink after the lesson there is a lot to choose from. That’s what you have to do after you surf; Mexican food and beer.

What kind of beer? Oooh…probably Pacifico…with a lime.

What’s your idea of the perfect session? Going out with friends. I don’t like to surf alone. A few of my best friends but that’s it! Warm water, surfing a reef break, 4'-7' waves that are fat and fun. Maybe some dolphins, oh and a rainbow, and margaritas waiting.

Ummm..can we go now? That sounds amazing. [laughs] Ya, let's do it.

What is your ultimate dream job? To make my lifestyle my job. Kind of what I am doing now.

You’re living the dream. Yep. Even though I’m only 25 and graduated from an expensive school. As long as I’m surrounded by ocean, helping others and doing what I love. Awesome.

Let’s play a word association game. I will say a word and then you say the first thing that comes to mind. I'm not good at this.

Reggae- Awesome
Air- Life
Jersey Shore- Ewww
Skinny dipping- Taboo
Jolly Ranchers- Sticky
Old English 40’s- Huh? Oh, like the beer? Yeah Oh! Like a 40?! Gangster.
Dropping in- Not cool.

Interview by: Jessica Baker
Photo's courtesy of: James Reese