Looking at Lakey Peterson’s accomplishments, it can feel like she was born to be in the water. Her mom was a national swimming champion, and Peterson swam and played water polo in high school. At 11, she started regularly surfing. At 14, she secured the National Scholastic Surfing Association Open Women’s Title with the first successful aerial maneuver in a women’s competition, and went pro at 16. She’s a regular on the competition circuit (and the podium) and the World Surf League’s Women’s World Championship Tour (where she has been a fixture near the top of the rankings multiple years).
Photo: 805 Beer, Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Surf Legend Lakey Peterson on the New Film ‘Making Waves’ and Her Top 5 Surf Spots
Peterson grew up in Santa Barbara, on the central coast of California, where she was involved in a multitude of sports. When she was five, her family went on a round-the-world trip and stayed in Australia for a month. She learned to surf there on Manly Beach, though it took some time for her to pick up surfing back home. There was no looking back once she did.
Photo: 805 Beer, Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Despite her undeniable successes, there have been two notable setbacks: Peterson missed the Olympic cutoff by one spot and was selected as an alternate for both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. She talks candidly about both sides of her story in the new film Making Waves: The Lakey Peterson Story, from from 805 Films, the documentary arm of the 805 Beer brand from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. The film features professional surfers like Conner Coffin, Sage Erickson, Strider Wasilewski, and more. It was shot by surf filmmaker Morgan Maassen using new footage shot at Jeffery’s Bay, South Africa, and archival video from the World Surf League.
“Many people see the stories of athletes’ successes,” Peterson told me over the phone from Portugal, where she was getting ready for a competition. The film doesn’t shy away from her achievements, but also shines a light on the challenging moments around the Olympics for a more nuanced perspective. “It’s sometimes a story people need to hear,” Peterson said, adding, “it doesn’t define who you are and it’s not the thing that, in my opinion, brings a happiness to your soul.”
Working with 805 Beer on this project felt like natural fit. Beyond being a top-selling craft beer, 805 is a lifestyle brand with a series of films about tastemakers and athletes. The brand gets its name from its home area code in Santa Barbara County: 805 — the same area code that Peterson has had on her number since her first phone (coincidentally mine as well, as someone who grew up just north of Peterson in Lompoc).
“I feel like they embody a lot of things that I value, and I’ve always loved the video projects they’ve done,” Peterson said.
Plus, she got to return to one of her favorite locations to shoot new footage for the film.
Peterson’s travel-filled lifestyle has only become more of a never-ending journey since that big trip where she learned to surf when she was 5. She was in Hawai’i at the start of the year, and then Abu Dhabi. Just after the competition Peterson was preparing for in Portugal the week we spoke, she was set to head off to an event in El Salvador and then three events in Australia. After that, more destinations on the World Surf League schedule. The best bet for anyone trying to keep up with her travels and competitions is the regularly updated surf-travel YouTube channel Peterson runs with her husband.
Following our conversation about the inspiration and process for Making Waves, Peterson shared five of her favorite surf spots around the world. It’s a list that surfers and non-surfers alike can find inspiration in.
Photo: 805 Beer, Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
“I just love that wave so much. I get to go a lot of places and surf a lot of great waves, world-class waves, but this is somewhere I’ve just always loved to surf more than anywhere,” Peterson said. She later added, “It’s just this beautiful big canvas and allows you to do whatever you want on the wave.”
There’s a reason Peterson and Maassen chose Jeffreys Bay for the new shots in the film: “I felt like if we wanted to get the best footage and the best waves that looked really good shot in black and white, that was it,” Peterson said. “It was not too hard of a decision.”
It’s a place Peterson has traveled to for competitions in the past, and every visit she tries to get in a game drive as well. “It’s so unique because you can go on a safari an hour and a half away and be around all these animals.”
Tavarua and Namotu, Fiji
Peterson calls Fiji the “number one best holiday surf trip”: “There’s a wave for everyone there, the people are amazing, the food’s amazing. It’s just truly paradise.” And at an 11-hour, direct red-eye flight from LAX, it’s also one of the easier to reach from her home in California.
Photo: 805 Beer, Firestone Walker Brewing Company
East Coast of Australia
“You could go to any coast and have a phenomenal time,” Peterson said, though just outside of Byron Bay on the East Coast is a particular standout. “That being said, you go anywhere in that entire country and you’ll have a great time.”
Portugal
“I’ve been to a lot of countries in Europe — France, Italy, Spain — and they’re all amazing,” Peterson said. “But I feel like Portugal is a lot more affordable. So once you’re here, eating out and Airbnbs are way more affordable than, say, France or Italy in my experience.”
Plus, of course, “the waves are phenomenal.”
Hossegor, France
The small town of Hossegor on the Bay of Biscay in southern France has waves that are worth the trip on their own. Add to that the fact that San Sebastian, Spain — widely regarded as one of the world’s best food destinations — is less than a two-hour drive away. The upscale Biarritz, famous for its surfing and popularity as a resort town for European royalty since the 1800s, sits in between.
“For both Portugal and France, you probably want to go in October before it gets too cold, but the waves are good,” Peterson said. 