​​

TANDEM HAYDEN - By Alexandria Bordas

The stats!
Name: Tandem Hayden
Pronouns: she/her
Age: 42
Stance: Goofy
Fave surf spot: Sharks
Favorite board: 10’0” CJ Nelson Sprout
Years competing in WOW: 4
Hometown: Santa Cruz
First spot surfed: Steamer Lane


The earliest memories Tandem Hayden has of surfing are with her dad - surfing tandem, no less. Spending her earliest years living in a van in Santa Cruz, she was surfing The Lane before she was even conscious of it, taking ownership of the west side. Tandem was born with a burning passion for surfing that she’s kept stoking to this day.

At just two-and-half years old, Tandem would paddle out into overhead surf with her dad. After he would catch a wave, he would toss her into the air and together they’d perform wave acrobatics.

“I bet partially he was doing it to catch more waves, because people would see me on the board with him and let us have them,” Tandem said with a fond laugh. “I understood the complexities of the ocean far before I even understood the world of surfing.”

Now, at 42, Tandem is a mom of four and is instilling a love for the ocean in her children, just like her dad did for her. She said surfing has brought everything to her life - it’s her relationship with her father, with god and is key to nurturing her mental health.

“To me, it’s that one thing no matter your age or where you’re coming from that brings us together,” she said. “Everything you are is left at the beach and when you're in the ocean it’s the most equalizing thing - you strip down to your wetsuit and the ocean takes it all away.”

Tandem’s circle of friends also largely revolves around the ocean, with many of those friends participating alongside her at WOW. This year will be Tandem’s fourth time competing, and she said this event is even more special because her daughter gets to compete as well.

“In my mid to late 20s through mid 30s I was pregnant or giving birth to four children, so I wasn't competing,” she said. “It was incredible getting back into competing again and WOW was the first one I won in 2021.”

Her father, Doug, was at that event to watch her take first place, but passed away before the second year she competed in 2022, which she also won.

“Winning with him there my first year was an extremely special moment for me,” Tandem said.

When reflecting on the community of WOW, Tandem said the encouragement and positivity everyone shows each other is unlike any other event she’s participated in.

The camaraderie and genuine happiness people have for their friends doing well in a heat is what keeps her coming back each year.

“A lot of these women are the women I surf with everyday,” she said. “Because the majority of us are Santa Cruz women who surf together, we’ve made friends across divisions and throughout each year during the contest circuit we’ve all become really close.”