If England starts winning surfing competitions… it might be because of an Aussie.

Her name is Vittoria Farmer. And she’s just been selected in the British Surfing Team.

When I first met Vittoria she was 5 years old and her big brother was my boyfriend. He’s now my husband. Little Tori was a curly haired hippy kid who lived in Doonan on the Sunshine Coast. She cartwheeled around acreage with her brothers and hung upside down in trees like a little monkey. She was always going to be an athlete.

When the family moved to Noosa, the beach beckoned and Tori found her home in the surf.

She’s rarely been out of the saltwater since.

Tori spent so much time at the beach through her teenage years, her hair bleached blond naturally and her skin turned so deep olive brown that when she took off her watch her wrist seemed to glow white. She was always checking the surf report and always keen for a paddle. She grew stronger and smoother in the waves and soon the surfing world started paying attention.

Many early years of gymnastics training helped turn her into one of the most skilful surfers of her generation – plus she’s a bloody hard worker. Diet, stretch and strength training was all part of her lifestyle. She’d cook up protein heavy veggie bowls then lie in the lounge room on a foam roller trying to ease tight quad muscles rather than pursuing some more standard teen habits.

For years, Tori would wake up early at her family home in Noosa and head out to local beaches to find the best swell. She also became a qualified lifeguard so in between surfs she’d save more than a few tourists by swapping her bikinis for a red and yellow SLSQ one-piece.

Tori got more serious about surfing and threw herself into a brutally competitive Qualifying Series circuit. She was always close to the top, winning back to back QS events and chasing the WSL Women’s Championship Tour. Then Covid hit and plans changed.

After some rough seas, Tori jetted over to the UK to become a lifeguard in Cornwall, southern England. During her second season she was awarded a Bronze Medal for Gallantry after saving a former police officer in a particularly dangerous rip. She went from the beach to the palace following an invitation from His Royal Highness, the Duke of Kent.

With a surfboard under her feet, Tori has paddled out into oceans all over the world. Australia, New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Mexico, England, France, Spain, Portugal and even China (which she tells me is “really fun and a has a decent left hand point break”) but she loves surfing in Indonesia the best.

Indo is where I find my little sister-in-law when I call to congratulate her on making Team GB.

I squeal praise and she responds like a typical surfer.

“Yeah, I’m pretty stoked”.

Tori is in Indonesia to reacclimatise to warm water surfing because the International Surfing Association (ISA) event where she’ll compete as a Brit is being held in El Salvador. She made the team after competing in the English Nationals and then got invited to the British Surfing Championships.

Tori says she felt like a nobody the UK, but the call-up to a coaching camp in France finally helped her make the decision to use her dual citizenship. So she switched flags.

The reason Tori has a British passport is because her dad is English. She was born in Malaysia, grew up in Queensland, but ironically now calls Ireland home for much of the year. Why? The surf there is amazing. So for the past couple of months Tori’s pulled on a 6mm wetsuit complete with hood, boots and gloves and paddled out into freezing water. She loves it.

If you want to see what frozen surf looks like, check out this documentary that featured Tori called Other Land.

Tori was with her flatmate in Ireland when she got the email telling her she was one of three female surfers to make the British Surfing Team. It felt good. And finally she felt like maybe she did fit into Team GB after all. So she’s packing her bags and boards and heading off to the ISA comp at the end of May with her British teammates.

She’s surfed in El Salvador before and feels like the conditions suit her style. Consistent swell, right hand point breaks and left hand a-frames. I don’t know what that means, but I know how incredible Tori looks when she’s ripping through waves. Powerful and cool and calm.

The ISA is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. So, does this mean there might be a path to the Olympics for Tori? Paris 2024 is not out of the question, but the qualification path is tricky. And highly competitive. As it should be. But Tori is used to biding her time and waiting for the right wave.

When Tori competes for Great Britain she can choose her own wetsuit but she’ll stick a red, white and blue Union Jack on her surfboard. I think there’ll still be a little green and gold in her heart.