At Home in the Water with Surfer Nikki van Dijk



For professional surfer Nikki van Dijk, the ocean has always been home. She caught her first wave at four years old on Phillip Island, where the sea shaped not only her childhood but the rhythm of her life. What began as play became her teacher, her career, and her greatest source of calm.

Over the years, Nikki has learned to balance the intensity of competition with the slower rituals that ground her; morning yoga, time in nature, and the simple pleasure of being home by the water. Surfing, for her, is a meditation as much as a sport; a way of staying connected to something larger than herself.

In this conversation, she shares her memories of growing up by the sea, the rituals that keep her steady, and her newest creative chapter with Cinca Tequila, a passion project born from friendship and long days in the surf.




Talent: Nikki van Dijk @nikkivandijk
Photography: Josh Robenstone @joshrobenstone
Fashion Styling: Natalie Petrevski @natpetrevski
Production: The ARTL—NE @theartline___
Interview by: Anna Harding

On Beginnings & Nature

What is your earliest memory of feeling completely at home in the water?

Beautiful question! My earliest memory of me in the ocean was when I was maybe 4 years old surfing at my local beach on Phillip Island with my father and sister. From that moment on I can remember feeling very at home in the water.


How has growing up by the sea shaped the way you move through the world today?

It’s been my biggest teacher in life, that is for sure. From growing up on an island and my backyard being the ocean, I learned to respect and honour nature from a very young age. It’s given me everything—shown me the world, introduced me to my best friends, given me a career, and allowed me to enjoy the sport I love every single day, surfing. For the most part, it’s taught me gratitude, perspective and grit, and the lessons the ocean has taught me I use in all forms of life!


Daily Rituals

Do you have small daily rituals, morning or evening, that ground you?

Absolutely. With so much travel and being in planes over the years, I make it a huge priority to stay on top of the small things in life that I know ground me. Music and meditation. Yoga. Surfing. Even just getting in my pyjamas, making a hot chocolate and doing my skincare routine—ahh there’s nothing better haha.


What does a nourishing day look like for you when you’re not travelling or competing?

Preferably in the sunshine with a matcha haha! I love to start the day moving my body—either a little run and yoga, and then a surf. Nourish my body with delicious, healthy foods. Hang with my beautiful friends. Red light bed and hyperbaric oxygen therapy session to finish it off.

On Slow Places

Where do you go when you need to restore yourself?

Home—Phillip Island. The pace on the island is a lot slower than most of the world. For me, there’s nothing more restorative than spending some time down there in nature, with my family, sleeping well and eating well.


Are there slow places in the world that you love to return to again and again?

Home again on Phillip Island, always returning there to recharge. I guess there can be slowness in many places I travel to—it really just depends how and what I am doing. Tropical islands are always an easy return ;)



Surfing as Practice

Do you see surfing as a meditation of sorts?

100%. Surfing is one of the most meditative experiences in life, I think. For me, surfing is the greatest challenge—physically, spiritually, and emotionally. You are at the mercy of the ocean and have to connect to nature like no other. Surfing makes me who I am and is the reason I even know what meditation is haha.


How do you mentally prepare for a big competition?

Trust. Trusting in the lifetime of hard work and dedication to the sport. Training, travelling, and all the hard yards allow me to trust in my ability. I love to feel prepared—surfing the morning of competition, looking after my body, and taking slow moments to prepare.



On Balance & Wellbeing

What helps you balance the intensity of competition and training with rest?

It’s an ongoing juggling act for sure. I think knowing my body’s limits and prioritising sleep and recovery really gets me across the line. Consistent massages, physio, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, red light therapy, ice baths, health foods, yoga, water and nutritious foods—all allow me to recover to the best of my ability and have so much on my plate!

Has recovery taught you as much as performance?

100%. In the most recent years I have had a few serious injuries. They—and the importance of recovery—have almost taught me more than performance haha. It’s so incredible to learn about the human body, push it to its limits and meet its potential. It’s been amazing to really understand my body on this level and be able to share that with other people, in the hopes of a long and healthy life as an athlete but also as a human!


Inspiration & the Future

Outside of the sea, what brings you joy and creativity—books, music, conversations?

Music, dancing and connecting with people. I really, really love how music and dancing expand my world. I love where sound and my imagination can take me—it’s like a universal language!


You’ve recently stepped into a different kind of creative adventure with Cinca, a tequila brand. Can you share how this project came to life and what inspired you to embark on it?

Yes!! It’s a very exciting time for Cinca—our baby! Four of my best friends (Laura Enever, Steph Gilmore, Dimity Stoyle, Macy Callaghan) and I have been working on Cinca Tequila, and we are so excited to share it with everyone. It’s been a dream for us for the past 10 years to make a premium tequila and bring it to Australia. We’ve all been surfing and celebrating together in Mexico for years and always loved the quality of tequila there and felt Australia needed some! It’s been an amazing journey learning the ropes of the alcohol world and we couldn’t be more proud of the product we’ve created. Time to share the fun!!


Looking ahead, what are you excited about?

Everything, really! I’m 30 now (crazy) and I really do feel just so grateful to be healthy and happy. I feel as though I have stepped into a beautiful time of my life where all my hard work is allowing things to flow and I’m able to just enjoy the ride! I’m looking forward to continuing the dream—surfing lots, enjoying my beautiful family and friends around the world, creating lots of fun things and seeing where it all takes me <3

“I feel as though I have stepped into a beautiful time of my life where all my hard work is allowing things to flow and I’m able to just enjoy the ride!”