KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2025 (Top 50)

Rell Sunn, Storm Dancer

Rell Sunn grew up surfing her home town of Mākaha's big waves, guided by legends like Duke Kahanamoku. Despite surfing's male dominance, she excelled.

In 1966, she won the Hawaii State Surfing Championship at 16, but an injury at Worlds Surfing Championships in San Diego and later pregnancy altered her path.

As a single mom, Rell creatively pursued surfing. Facing skepticism, she and other women fought for recognition, laying groundwork for women's pro surfing.

My Why:

I first learned of Rell Sunn while surfing in my thirties. She had just passed away after battling cancer, gracing the covers of surf magazines. Years later, I sought to tell her story, traveling to Oceanside, California, and Mākaha, Hawaii, interviewing friends, family, and mentees. Mentioning her name in Hawaii often brought hands to hearts. Rell was not only a world champion surfer but also a community leader whose aloha spirit lives on. Her advocacy for women’s equality in surfing began in the 1970s and paved the way for surfing to mandate equal pay for women in 2018. Rell rode life’s storms—both oceanic and personal—with courage, strength, and grace.

Surfers all over the world know about her and see her as a role model, but few outsid