Born and raised on the northern beaches of Sydney, Holly Wawn’s father started pushing her into waves at their local Bungan Beach when she was three. She started competing in her teens, won local events, and won the 2012 Australian Junior Titles at age 15. From 2015 to 2019, she competed full-time on the ’QS, bagged a few thirds, but came to realize that she was happiest surfing outside of the contest forum. Now 27, based in Coorabell, near Byron Bay, Wawn is a freesurfer known for her big, swooping hacks.

In this episode of Soundings, Wawn sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about lineup hierarchies, her relationship to competition, life as a freesurfer, producing content, the importance of self-expression, and her cinematic goals.