As an instructor from Corky Carroll’s Surf School gave 9-year-old Maya Madden a gentle push into the whitewash at Bolsa Chica State Beach, her mother snapped photos. It was Maya’s first surf lesson.

“They say how you do anything is how you do all things. My surfing is like that. It’s an expression of my life. With my surfing career, trying was never the hard part. The fire and the passion were ...

Surfing has its own complicated mystique. Riding a wave feels magical and pure, but often, attempts end with a pummeling of salty whitewash. “Surfing is difficult because of the physical demands but ...