After having to undergo five full days of quarantine in Bali due to local COVID-19 rules, three-time world flow boarding champion Annissa finally got to surf on the renowned and unforgiving beach break.
Due to strict COVID regulations enforced in Phuket limiting competition, Annissa had been out of the water for much of the last two years.
When competition was finally permitted, however, Annissa managed to shine, winning the women’s short and long board categories at the Thailand Surfing Championship 2021 held at Nai Harn Beach in Rawai last October.
Prior to that, Annissa’s most prominent success was when she won a silver medal in the women’s short board competition at the SEA Games in the Philippines in Dec, 2019.
She has been surfing since the age of eight, describing her relationship with the sport during a previous interview with The Phuket News as a very personal one: “Like many things, surfing is very personal and it is hard to describe to someone who doesn’t have that personal connection.
“For me the feeling of being out there in the water not thinking about anything is very calming, almost like a form of meditation. And the actual surfing itself is like standing on water, a truly magical feeling.”
Annissa is keen to promote and advance the surfing scene in Thailand and to open up opportunities for Thai athletes to compete on the Asean and international scene by pioneering social media and content creation based around healthy lifestyle, respecting one another and the marine environment and by simply having fun in the ocean.
She certainly seems to be hot on the wave of her idol, seven-time women’s WSL world champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia and The Phuket News wishes her all the very best for the future.
You can follow Annissa on Facebook and Instagram at www.instagram.com/anni_ssa/