A Huntington Beach native and natural athlete throughout her early life, surfing is in her blood. Meah first stepped on a surfboard in a Huntington Beach competition at 10 and won.

As one of the youngest pro surfers, Meah is just beginning to make her mark on the surfing world, and she will only continue to excel based on her amazing start in the surfing scene. Now, the young surfing legend has received international recognition for her talent.

While surfing has been considered a male-dominated sport, women are now seeing more equality on the waves and Meah is out there with her board. “I try not be intimidated. But sometimes I get like a sense of empowerment, like I’m the only girl out here, like I’m gonna show all these guys who’s boss.”

In Surf City USA, we observe "the endless summer," a 365-day season revolving around the sun and sea, which bodes well for Meah. “HB has the most consistently good waves all year round and I have a lot of friends from Huntington that I like to surf with.”

When she is not in the water, she enjoys the diversity of Huntington Beach’s people and culinary scene. “The fact that you have so many cultures here and so many different types of people, so many different types of food, it’s almost like it’s just an explosion of -- of -- I want to say art.”

Next up for Meah is to live her dream of participating in the World Championship Tour and be a as well as qualifying for the 2020 Olympics.

See Meah’s story and be inspired to Dream and Do in Huntington Beach.

Get to Know Meah Collins

What's your sport of choice?

Surfing

How long have you been rocking your sport?

11 years

How did you get into your sport of choice?

My dad was a professional surfer in his time and I just followed in his footsteps. He was my first coach and the person who got me into surfing.

Why do you love rocking your sport in Huntington Beach?

HB has the most consistently good waves all year round and I have a lot of friends from Huntington that I like to surf with. I have been surfing the pier since I was little and I know most all the older locals out there so it feels like home when I surf there.

If you had to go back & tell your amateur self about who you’d become, what advice would you give her?

I would tell her to not let negativity and self-doubt get in her way. I wish I could go back and tell myself to not pay attention to people who told me that I couldn’t make it and to not feed into them. Instead, just remember who you are, don’t beat yourself up about mistakes, and stay positive.

How are you living the dream?

I get to travel and surf for a living. I get to see new places, eat new foods, meet new people, experience different cultures, and do what I love to do as a career. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Favorite Thing About Huntington Beach?

It actually pays attention to surfing and makes it a big part of its community. I always feel welcomed as a surfer. I also like how people in HB are generally nicer.My dad was a professional surfer in his time and I just followed in his footsteps. He was my first coach and the person who got me into surfing.

Meet Our Surf City Women

We think you'll be so inspired that you, too, will want to visit Huntington Beach - with family, with friends or solo -and follow your own path to dream big and do more, in whatever way that makes life better for you and yours.