Ella is a young Swiss surfer who has entered the Alaïa Surf Challenge and lists Alaïa Bay as one of her sponsors. She has entered the Open, Junior, Best Barrel, Best Air and Best Turn categories.
What is your name and age?
My name is Ella Aebi. I'm 15 years old.
Where are you from, and how long have you been surfing?
I'm surfing in Alaïa a lot and in France in the Hossegor area.
Which wave pools have you surfed?
I only surfed at Alaïa Bay as a wave pool.
Which is your favourite wave pool?
Alaïa Bay.
Are you excited about the Wavepool Surf Tour? There are opportunities to win a Wavepool World Title in your division.
It's really interesting to make such a competition. Having pretty different divisions and the opportunity to compete against athletes all around the world makes the competition really exciting!
There will be events around the world. Will you travel to compete internationally?
Yes, I would love to travel and see other pools and meet other surfers.
Who are your sponsors?
My sponsors are Alaïa Bay, Surfbridge, Lusty, Malakai Surf Odyssey, Le Spot Training and Deflow.
Do you currently compete in surfing competitions? If so, at what level?
I'm an athlete from Swiss Surfing, and competing at the ISA Junior World Championships and Eurosurf.
Can you share a few recent competition results?
I'm currently the Swiss Champion Open Female and Junior Female. I also won the Alaïa Open 2025 in both categories.
Where has surfing taken you? Include any wave pools you've travelled to.
I have surfed in Spain: Somo, Tenerife, and in Punta Rocas, Peru.
What are your future travel plans? Where are you heading next?
I will travel to Salvador and Ireland during the next autumn for different competitions.
What are the make, model and dimensions of your favourite board?
I always surf the same board in the ocean or at the pool. I'm really lucky to have a fantastic shaper in Rob Vaughan. The boards are magical.
Would you ride different equipment in a wave pool than you would in the ocean? If so, what changes would you make?
I always surf the same board in the ocean or at the pool.
Wave pools are opening in more countries every year. How does that make you feel?
It's great that other pools are opening, but personally I prefer to surf in the ocean.
Who are your favourite male and female surfers?
I draw inspiration from many surfers: John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Kauli Vaast, Marco Mignot, Carissa Moore, Caitlin Simmers and, of course, Tya Zebrowski.
The Wavepool Surf Tour counts your two best waves, with opportunities to replace them if you improve. What would your strategy be? Would you back your forehand or backhand? Airs or barrels?
At the moment I haven't reflected that much on the strategy. When I'm surfing, I concentrate on pleasure and, of course, improving my surfing.
