Surfer Profile: Crystal Thornburg

Bio:

Born and raised on O’ahu, Crystal’s earliest memory is of hanging out at Kaimana beach with her parents. Her dad used to push her into waves at Waikiki and by elementary school her mom was taking her to the beach to surf after school. In high school she had to surf at least a few hours every day.

She says, "My friends and I would surf a spot away from the crowds and if the surf was good and we didn't have any swimwear, we would surf in our underwear. I guess you can say we were hooked."

Crystal is an accomplished longboarder, but she is also an all-around ocean athlete who races outrigger canoes, competes in long-distance swims and paddleboard races, kayaks, bodysurfs, freedives and surfs.

Some of Crystal’s proudest moments didn’t take place on a surfboard: She cites being one of two female competitors to bodysurf Pipeline on an eight to ten-foot day and being nationally ranked in Olympic flat water K-1 kayaking as two of her highlights.

Recent Projects:

Crystal recently graduated from Chaminade University with a degree in Environmental Science (an emphasis on Humanities) and a minor in art. She has also volunteered with the nonprofit environmental groups The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and Save Our Seas.

"Art is a major part of my life," she says. "I love to work with all mediums, such as watercolor, charcoal, acrylics, photography, mix media and fiber arts. I always have some art project going on, taking up all the floor space in my room!"

Her art and photos have been shown in art galleries and magazines around the islands.

Environmental Projects:

"My ideas for saving the environment start with direct action and involvement. My experience working to affect social and environmental change in my community varies from working with community organizations, as well as individual interests.
"One of my most recent completed projects is my internship with Save Our Seas on the island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i. Working for Save Our Seas, I learned the proper techniques to help raise public awareness about coral reef ecology, managing local reef ecosystems, and working with the community to help restore our oceans for future generations. Because Save Our Seas is based on the Garden Island of Kaua’i it was a great opportunity to help the local community become more aware of the impacts of global and local environmental issues that are interconnected to our ocean ecosystems."