103 Captain Liz Clark - Adventure Surfer
What if the best way to improve your surfing has nothing to do with your technique—and everything to do with how you live?
Captain Liz Clark sailed across the Pacific solo for over a decade in search of waves, connection, and meaning. In this deep and honest episode, she shares how facing danger, solitude, and self-doubt at sea helped her redefine success—not just as a surfer, but as a human. Liz offers a rare perspective on flow, fear, and femininity that goes way beyond the lineup.
Discover why inner peace and purpose matter more than performance for true surfing progression
Hear how a competitive surfer became an environmental activist through her voyage of awakening
Learn how letting go of control and comparison can unlock lasting stoke and deeper flow states
Hit play to hear how surfing, sailing, and self-love came together in Captain Liz Clark’s unforgettable journey—and why her story could change your relationship with the ocean forever.
Links to Liz:
https://www.instagram.com/captainlizclark/?hl=en
The sponsor for this episode is https://flatrockwetsuits.com.au
Enter code MASTER15 for 15% off a new wetsuit.
Key Points
Surfing is central to Liz's lifestyle, allowing her to enjoy freedom and a year-round surfing experience.
Liz's first surf experience was at age 15, staying in the whitewater with a friend, which hooked her on surfing.
Liz's relationship with the ocean is deeply intertwined with her sense of peace, acceptance, and personal growth.
Liz's biggest fear during her ocean adventures was not the physical dangers but the fear of failure as a captain.
Liz's voyage led to an awakening in terms of self-discovery, understanding her place in the world, and spiritual connection.
Liz emphasizes the importance of inner alignment and self-awareness for achieving flow states and success in surfing.
Liz's journey was driven by a desire to live close to nature, simplify life, and align with her environmental values, with surfing as a significant component.
Liz advises surfers to focus on enjoying themselves and the benefits of being in the ocean rather than solely on performance improvement.
Liz's definition of femininity evolved during her voyage, emphasizing confidence, self-love, and embracing one's unique style.
Liz's current adventure involves community activism through a campaign to spay and neuter animals on her island.
Outline
Liz Clark's Relationship with Surfing
Liz Clark's relationship with surfing began in high school when a friend took them out on a surfboard.
Surfing is central to Liz's life, influencing their decisions and lifestyle.
Liz describes surfing as a source of freedom, salvation, and inspiration.
Liz Clark's Relationship with the Ocean
The ocean has been a place of peace and acceptance for Liz since youth.
Liz spent over a decade traveling the ocean on a sailboat, facing numerous challenges.
Liz's relationship with the ocean is characterized by love, respect, and a healthy amount of fear.
Liz Clark's Solo Voyage
Liz embarked on a solo voyage in their early twenties, traveling through the Pacific on a sailboat named Swell.
The voyage was fraught with risks, including injuries, pirates, and long-distance voyaging.
Liz's determination and desire to continue the voyage were instilled from a young age, growing up on boats.
Definition of 'Captain' and 'Failure'
Liz defines a captain as someone who manages a ship safely and delivers passengers safely to their destination.
Failure, for Liz, would be running the boat aground on a reef or deciding the voyage was too scary and giving up.
Awakening and Self-Discovery
The subtitle of Liz's book, 'A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening,' refers to discovering oneself and understanding one's place in the world.
Liz's journey led to an awakening in terms of self-discovery, spirituality, and connection to the universe.
The voyage accelerated Liz's inner growth and self-awareness.
Flow States and Surfing
Liz believes that flow states are a beautiful thing and can be influenced by inner alignment and choices.
Surfing in flow states can be elicited by challenging situations, though sometimes it can have the opposite effect if one is exhausted.
Liz had moments where they put surfing ahead of their instincts, leading to close calls with disaster.
Best Surfing Experiences
Liz had many good surfing experiences, but the best ones were those that were earned through challenges and required effort.
The appreciation for good waves is heightened when they are not easily accessible, emphasizing the value of effort and adventure.
Driving Force Behind the Trip
Surfing was one of the principal driving forces behind Liz's trip, along with a desire to live close to nature and simplify life.
Liz saw the journey as a way to escape the modern world and live in alignment with their environmental values.
Advice for Surfers
Liz advises surfers to focus on enjoying themselves and having fun, rather than solely improving performance.
Embracing one's own style and personality in surfing is key to improvement and enjoyment.
Letting go of expectations and pressure can increase the chance of entering flow states and improve surfing.
Liz's Current Surfing and Lifestyle
Liz surfs three to four times a week and is based in Tahiti.
Liz attributes their improved surfing at age 44 to taking care of their body, eating healthy, and practicing yoga.
Living on land since 2018 has allowed Liz to focus more on surfing and improve quicker.
Book Recommendations
Liz recommends 'The Four Agreements' by Don Ruiz Miguel for self-growth and self-awareness.
For adventure books, Liz suggests 'Paddling Your Own Canoe' by Audrey Sutherland and 'The Long Way' by Bernard Moitissier.
Liz also recommends 'Halaiki Rising,' the story of the Hokulea and the rediscovery of Polynesian navigation.
Definition of Femininity
Liz's definition of femininity has evolved from traditional ideals to a more personal and confident expression.
Liz's voyage allowed them to redefine femininity based on confidence, self-love, and embracing one's true self.
Embracing femininity has positively impacted Liz's sailing, surfing, and overall life enjoyment.
Advice to Younger Self
Liz would advise their younger self to embrace obstacles as opportunities, challenges as learning experiences, and difficult people as chances to practice virtues.
Loving oneself and not comparing to others would have avoided much pain and frustration.
Current Adventures and Activism
Liz is currently involved in a campaign to spay and neuter dogs and cats on the island where they live to reduce overpopulation and animal suffering.
This community activism represents a shift from sailing adventures to working with others and the government on local challenges.
Transcription
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Let me start. I want to ask you, do you remember your first wave, your first surf?
Liz Clark
I do. I do. I was in high school. I think I was a freshman in high school, so 15. And I had a friend who was a surfer, and she offered to take me out on her board one day. And we just stayed in the whitewater the whole time. And I don't even think I stood up all the way. But I got the feeling of the glide and just being out there in the ocean, which was something I already loved so much. And yeah, I was hooked. I was absolutely hooked.
Michael Frampton
So now, what does surfing mean to you now?
Liz Clark
Well, I mean, surfing is such a foundational part of my life. It's just one of the biggest pillars that I revolve my world around. And so, yeah, surfing means so much to me. I shape so many of my decisions around it, you know, based on being able to keep freedom and have a lifestyle that allows me to surf when the waves are good and be in a place where I can enjoy that year-round. Yeah, it's my salvation and my playground. And, you know, it gives me so, so much.
Michael Frampton
How would you describe your relationship to the ocean?
Liz Clark
My relationship to the ocean. I mean, the ocean has given me so much, you know, when you think back to. When I think back to my youth and just how the ocean was always a place that I could go to feel at peace and accepted. Always kind of a medium where I felt like I could be myself. And then, of course, when I spent ten years, you know, more than a decade and thousands of miles traveling the ocean on my sailboat. You know, the ocean gave me so many challenges and, you know, was a place where I was forced to grow in so many ways that, yeah, our relationship is something of like love and respect and a healthy amount of fear, but there's so much more to gain than, you know, to fear in my opinion, so something I keep going back to all the time to feel good, to stay inspired, to keep feeling a purpose in my life, and so yeah, I'm very close to the ocean and hope that I will get to continue to be.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, yeah, you mentioned fear. When it comes to the ocean, what is your biggest fear?
Liz Clark
You know, I've learned to kind of calculate my risks in my 40s now, you know, I used to kind of fling myself madly at my ocean escapades, but, you know, now I tend to use a bit more calculated risk when it involves surfing and, you know, long-distance voyaging or sailing adventures. But yeah, I mean, I don't really, to be honest, focus on the scariest parts, so I don't really even know what I would fear the most. I try to focus on the good parts, and I think that's always served me.
Michael Frampton
Obviously, yeah, because I'm getting out on a solo voyage in your early, was it your 20s? Yeah, like, there's so much, like a young woman by herself on a second-hand boat, like surfing to surf reef passes, like injuries, pirates, like the list of risks is insane. Like, what gave you the mouse to sit across such upon such a voyage? Like, where did it come from?
Liz Clark
Yeah, to be honest, I don't know. It's almost like it was born and instilled it into me always because, you know, I had the experience of growing up on boats and getting a taste of that pleasure of seeing the world by boat as a young child. You know, neither my brother or my sister ever had quite the same desire as I did to continue that and live it out in such a way that I did. So I don't really know exactly where it came from, but the determination to do it and the desire was always just such a huge part of my world and I didn't really question why. And yeah, the risks, I knew what the risks were and people were constantly telling me and talking about them, especially in the several years that I spent preparing the boat for the voyage. You know, there was just constantly people telling me why this was not a good idea and kind of naysaying it. I think there was a deep down, I really knew that there was more to gain than to lose and that those risks were going to be like part of the fun. At that age, I was really, you know, I loved the idea of adventure and unknown and kind of just going without a plan. So at that time, there was parts of that that appealed to me. You know, what really I feared, I think most, as I set out, was failure, you know, like failing my job as people that helped me and whether it was financially or, you know, sweat, blood and tears. There was just a lot riding on me pulling it all off. So that was the biggest fear, was just that I couldn't perform as a captain or, you know, do, fulfill those duties or things that I needed to do to be successful at the voyage.
Michael Frampton
Well, how did you define the word "captain," and what would have failure looked like?
Liz Clark
I mean, captain, I define as being able to manage your ship safely, to be able to, you know, your passengers safely to the other side. You know, at the beginning of the voyage, I was always with different crew and friends who had very little boating experience. And so there was a lot of responsibility on me to make sure everybody stayed safe and understood the basics of, you know, what the risks were of being out there on the ocean. So, I think that's my definition of being a captain or being a good captain. And I would have defined failure at that point as, you know, running the boat aground on the reef or, you know, in a way that it would have been like a repairable damage to swell or, you know, just deciding that it all too scary for me and I didn't want to do it, you know, giving up in some kind of way like that.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, so having to be rescued basically.
Liz Clark
Yeah, yeah, sinking or running aground would have been really, really a, for me, it would have been a big sad ending to a beautiful thing.
Michael Frampton
Hmm. The subtitle to the book is A Sailing Surfer’s Voyage of Awakening. That sounds quite, it's quite a spiritual subtitle. What do you mean by "awakening," and describe what that means to you. What's that journey of awakening?
Liz Clark
Yeah, I think it means many things. To me, it meant awakening in terms of me discovering myself and knowing who I am as a person, as a woman. That was a huge part of the journey and then also kind of an awakening to the realities of the world and understanding my place in it, a connection as well to my spirituality and like a deeper understanding of my place in the universe. All of those things were kind of like an unexpected part of what I did. I really set out kind of with just the idea that I was, you know, going out there to find remote waves and surf these breaks and have fun. And, you know, there was just so much more to it. When I actually got out there, I learned that to be able to succeed at what I was doing, it was really important for me to be able to look within and remove any of those obstacles that were blocking me from being kind of like in alignment with the greater forces of the world. Because when you're out there, you're so vulnerable and so dependent on nature and the ocean to kind of cooperate with you, that it really became apparent that, you know, my inner journey and my outer world had connected in a really important way. And that, you know, doing the work within, I would be rewarded on in the physical world, you know, externally, I guess?
Michael Frampton
Well, what is it doing the work within?
Liz Clark
What do you mean by that? I think I mean looking within and seeing how I could be a better person, recognizing self-awareness, basically. You know, there's always things that we don't see being ourselves and that, you know, it takes, it took me time alone on the ocean with lots of time to reflect and really think about who I was and who I wanted to be, to be able to kind of like do that inner work, do that job of looking at things maybe you don't like about yourself or you want to do better at and kind of put them into play in your everyday life.
Michael Frampton
I'm assuming you're talking about in regards to others, like your relationship with other people?
Liz Clark
Definitely, but I think my relationship with myself as well. You know, yes, definitely with other people. You know, there was a point in my voyage where I wanted to make amends with everybody that I felt that I'd wronged in my life and, you know, wrote letters to different people that I wanted to apologize to or clarify something with. But there was also an ongoing relationship with myself that needed attention and, you know, me discovering my power as a woman, as a person, depended so heavily on me being able to be confident and learn to love myself really. That wasn't something that came naturally to me. I was kind of, I never thought that I deserved maybe as much as other people did. And so it took me time to kind of develop my self-worth, I guess I would say.
Michael Frampton
Interesting. And you mentioned the connection between the inner and outer worlds. Could you think of a literal example? Maybe when you were feeling a bit more self-worth and calmness, was the ocean calmer at the time?
Liz Clark
I don't think it was so directly visible, but I think, over time, I understood that, you know, not only my qualms but my attitude towards things. Like, during this voyage, you know, being on a boat, things are constantly breaking. I think there's just always challenges, you know, and at the beginning, I tended to very quickly get frustrated and want to throw my arms up and be like, you know, everything's never going my way. Then, at some point, I kind of realized like, if I don't find a way to see these challenges as opportunities or, you know, at least try to stay calm and accept that this is absolutely going to be constantly part of my reality on this journey, I would have given up within the first year. I had to transform my way of thinking about those challenges in order to find positivity in them because it would have just been constantly too hard. So I think over time as I began to understand that connection of me just feeling frustrated, it would almost always get worse if I reacted in that way to a problem or a difficult person that came into my life. If I resisted it and made a bigger fuss out of it, it always ended up being more challenging. So I think over time I realized like, okay, I've got to just consider this busted windless motor a chance to maybe meet some interesting people that are going to help me fix it. I found that over time, the challenges did lead me to really cool experiences if I could keep an open mind. And so I think it wasn't so overnight that I said, oh, I'm calm and the ocean's calm. No, the ocean was always throwing new challenges at me. It was just more a matter of me seeing the alignment between going with the flow in those moments and letting them lead me towards somewhere that maybe I didn't have in mind, and then getting there and having a really cool surprise happen. You know, having the wind push me in a direction that I didn't originally think I wanted to go, for example, and then getting to a place that I would have never gone to initially and discovering something really cool when I got there. Does that make sense? I kind of rambled on that.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, no, I like that. And it's also, I think that part of you was also very present before you set out on the journey. Do you see that in hindsight?
Liz Clark
I mean, I think it was probably always there. I think being out on the ocean and especially when I was sailing alone, just like the noise was gone and I could hear myself better and I could think clearer. It just accelerated the process of me having those realizations and understandings.
Michael Frampton
I think being in the environment that I was out on the ocean, yeah. Because, I mean, setting out on such a voyage at such a young age and ignoring all of the challenges and the people who were pointing out the barriers and challenges, there's certainly an element of faith that led you to do it anyway.
Liz Clark
Definitely. I certainly had a confidence in myself, a confidence in my capability to problem-solve and overcome obstacles that would come up—maybe to almost a scary degree. My parents might have thought that. But yeah, I wanted to try to improve and do better and be a good person, whatever that means to you. For me, being out there seemed to definitely accelerate the opportunities to have that inner growth in those relative areas.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Yeah. Did you ever encounter any pirates?
Liz Clark
No, no real actual pirates. But definitely plenty of unpleasant men and situations that I had to avoid or be smart about. I was pretty hyper aware of those kinds of dangers. I'd say those were the scariest things to me at that point—encountering dangerous men more powerful than me that could do harm. I didn't overthink it or concentrate on it too much, but I definitely learned to tune into my instincts. And when I met someone that gave me an uncomfortable feeling, right away I would remove myself from the situation and do what I needed to do to not be in their path again.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. So you had a few close calls in that regard?
Liz Clark
I mean, I had, yeah, definitely some moments that I wouldn't want to relive if I didn't have to. But in general, I think I was pretty smart about it. When I got to a new place, you always met people. Generally, upon arrival somewhere, the boating community is really small and I tended to connect with people who I felt safe with. Creating that little bubble of people who were kind of looking out for me was, I feel like, a really good way to navigate it. Do you think it was a rite of passage, in a way, the journey itself?
Michael Frampton
Yeah, absolutely.
Liz Clark
You know, I don't think young people have the same opportunities for that kind of experience in today's world, or we don't focus on it as much as certainly some civilizations and people did in the past. I do think I see the value in it so much after having done what I did in my 20s. I see young people not getting that opportunity or giving themselves that opportunity in that age group, and I wish that our society did more to say it's important for you to go out and spread your wings and fall if you have to and get back up—especially at that age—because you're really forging who you are. You're learning yourself. You're setting yourself up for the decisions you're going to make and the life path that you're going to choose ahead of you. So yeah, I believe I didn't intend a rite of passage really at the time, but it absolutely was that, looking back. Hmm, yeah.
Michael Frampton
Tell me, what are your thoughts on flow states?
Liz Clark
Well, I think they're a really beautiful thing and we're lucky when we find ourselves in those moments where things flow. I definitely think that we can—like I'm saying in terms of how our inner alignment affects our outer world—when we're making choices and doing things to keep our inner world healthy and feeling good, I do think that is reflected externally in how things kind of happen around us and definitely lead us towards being in flow state more often. I don't think we can be there all the time, but I think that's what makes it so special and keeps us aiming to tune back in and get aligned and try to find those special flow state moments again. You know, yes, I imagine if you've been sailing and you're tired and then you turn up to some reef pass and it's just pumping, it kind of has to be surfed, and the pressure of that situation would elicit a deep flow state, I imagine. Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I think it would elicit the opposite because, you know, there were times when I would get somewhere and I was exhausted after a long passage and the surf would be good and I would force myself to go there when actually my body and everything was telling me, you need to rest. I was constantly in conflict because the boat and the safety of the boat had to always remain first priority. In my heart, I was a surfer and I wanted to just jump off that boat and go surfing sometimes, but a lot of times that couldn't be my reality. I had to deal with the priority of keeping the boat safe first. Interesting. Did you make some mistakes where you put surfing ahead of your own instincts? Absolutely. Especially at the beginning. I left my boat unattended in some bay and would go off hitchhiking to find waves and end up meeting some nice people and spend the night somewhere. Luckily for me, I never had any big problems. I never got too big of a consequence from some of those decisions that I made. But I definitely—there was a learning curve at the beginning. I would get back, and I remember in Puerto Escondido, I'd left the boat at anchor, gone on a little surf mission for a couple of days and came back. And when we pulled up the anchor to leave, the rope—the anchor rode—had been chafing on something on the bottom, and there was just like a tiny bit of rope holding it. So I had those moments where I got really close to disaster and learned that I had to keep my priorities straight if I wanted to avoid a crisis.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Can you remember a day or a spot where you got the best waves?
Liz Clark
I mean, I got so many good waves. But there was a lot of time where there'd be long stints in between sometimes because I'd be stuck somewhere fixing something and be in a port with dirty water where there was no surf around. But I think that's what made those experiences when I finally did get—when all the elements came together—and there was a safe anchorage and the waves were on and I had somebody fun to surf with, it just made it so precious. Those experiences had to be so earned that they were sacred, you know? Yeah, so lots and lots of good waves out there. It's just a matter of going out and getting off the beaten path. I think sometimes in today's world, I feel like when we have it too easy, we do lose that depth of appreciation that does make something so special. And yeah, that can kind of affect our experience in a way, you know.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I agree. Pressure makes diamonds.
Liz Clark
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Michael Frampton
Is surfing—was surfing—the driving force behind the trip itself, or was it bigger than that?
Liz Clark
I think it was one of the principal driving forces. I think I also had this very deep desire to live really close to nature and simplify and kind of get away from this modern world that didn't always make sense to me. Always, from a young child, I wanted to protect nature and was an environmentalist and really wanted to go out there and try to experience a life where I could have a lower impact and live in alignment with my values in that way. And so I saw this journey as kind of a way to escape what I didn't think about the modern world and live those principles that I believed in. But yeah, surfing was absolutely a huge priority for me as well, you know.
Michael Frampton
Because you won, in 2001, you were the NSSA College Women's National Surfing Champ.
Liz Clark
Yeah.
Michael Frampton
So you've experienced competition surfing at a high level. And then you've also experienced what I would argue is probably the purest form of surfing, which is adventure and just surfing for the sake of surfing. So you've never chosen the easy path.
Liz Clark
No, I never really have. And I was so determined to get better at surfing in my teens, and I didn't come from a family of surfers. I didn't have any real role models close to me that could teach me to surf better. And so competition was a good way in my late teens and twenties to—I felt like—improve my surfing and meet other surfers and be part of the surf scene. But in the end, after I won that competition, I think I realized a few things. I realized that my love for surfing was more about those exploratory experiences. What I loved was being out there and going through nature, whether it was like sliding down a muddy hill or wondering what a certain break was going to be like on a certain tide and going for that adventure and figuring it out. I definitely found myself lighting up more in those moments. Then competition started to feel stressful and not as fun, I guess. I also kind of realized, coming without a surfing background—like without that in my family—the surfing world at that time, especially as a woman, seemed like you needed a lot of support. You needed to know people. It was kind of like a who's who thing at that point as well, and I didn't have that. I thought pursuing professional surfing is going to be really hard for me with the background that I have. So yeah, it seemed like, especially when the opportunity presented itself and this mentor came into my life who wanted to offer me this boat, it was like I can use all of this experience that I have growing up on boats, combine it with my love for exploratory surfing, and this is just like the epitome of my voyaging dreams and my surfing dreams coming together.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. What's some advice for surfers listening who want to improve their surfing? And I don't necessarily mean that only from a performance perspective. I think people want to get better at surfing not just to surf more difficult waves or catch more waves, but also to improve their relationship with surfing itself. So what advice would you give to surfers listening out there along those lines?
Liz Clark
I think my biggest advice would be to keep remembering that it's all about enjoying yourself and having fun. No matter if you're surfing more difficult waves or improving in the way that the surf world deems as being a better surfer, I think focusing on going out there to enjoy yourself and remembering the benefits of camaraderie and meeting other surfers—I think those are the important things to remember. I used to be so hard on myself if I didn't have a good session, and once I set out on the voyage and had this much more pure experience of surfing, I let go of a lot of those expectations on myself and really started to focus in on doing it because it's just so great. And when you do end up having one of those moments of improvement or when things come together for you, it's just so wonderful. But focusing too hard or putting too much pressure on yourself often backfires and makes it less enjoyable, and even causes you to not improve quickly because you're feeling negative about yourself or the situation.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I think the letting go aspect increases the chance of a flow state, and really the deeper you get into a flow state is when time slows down and you read the wave at a better level and therefore you surf better. Absolutely. Yeah, and the more of those states you enter, over time the better your surfing gets overall.
Liz Clark
Yeah, it's so much more about your connection to the ocean. Take, for example, the surfing of Leah Dawson. You think about her—she just breaks all the rules and does it her way, and that's what makes it so special. In my opinion, she's one of the best women surfers there is. So I think bringing your own charisma, your own personality into it and finding what feels good and enjoying it is really the way to go.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, no, I agree. Karina Rozunko comes to mind—she's such a free spirit in the way she surfs, always looks like she's in a flow state. How often do you surf nowadays?
Liz Clark
As often as I can, which ends up being probably three to four times a week.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, awesome. And you're based in Tahiti now?
Liz Clark
Yeah, I'm lucky for sure.
Michael Frampton
Is it the pick of the... after all your travels around the Pacific, was that your highlight?
Liz Clark
Yeah, I fell in love with French Polynesia for a lot of reasons, and waves were definitely on that list. But also the people and the culture here. I met my now husband, and so there were a lot of things that have kept me here. But yeah, the quality of the surf is so good, and I ended up wanting to stay here longer because at the time I was like, I'm only going to be able to surf waves of this level for so long. And it's funny because now I'm 44 and I'm surfing better than I ever have. It's all relative—it's all about staying healthy and continuing to enjoy it. My relationship with surfing, like anything, has its ups and downs or its moments where things plateau and you don't feel the same inspiration. But I'm at a really good place with surfing right now. It remains a huge source of re-inspiration and re-powering for me. I'm doing a ton of community activism and work here for the environment and for animals, and I give a lot of energy all the time. Then, when the waves turn on, it's like, okay, it's my turn, it's my time. I need to go fill my cup back up, and it really helps keep me going to be able to give.
Michael Frampton
Awesome. You mentioned you're surfing better now than ever at 44. What do you put that down to?
Liz Clark
Maybe just time in good waves, but also for sure taking care of my body, eating healthy, yoga—all of those things have allowed me to stay physically fit enough to keep doing it at the level that I'm doing it. So yeah, a combination of all those things, I guess.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I think traveling to good tropical locations with good, uncrowded waves is probably the best thing you can do for your surfing—both to get better and just to experience surfing the way it should be.
Liz Clark
Yeah, and I think too for me, all those years while I was living on Swell and the boat was my main residence, I always had to have the boat as the focal point. Like I said before, it just had to be the priority. Since late 2018, I moved onto land and have a land base and have been able to put more time into surfing, which has really allowed me to not stay at that same level where I would get to do it just enough to feel something again and make an improvement. Now I can go back out soon and just be able to improve quicker because my focus can be more right on that versus "this thing's broken and I got to take the boat to this other island to do this VAT." Always some sort of complication of living on the ocean.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I can imagine. Back to your voyage—did you take books with you?
Liz Clark
Oh yes, tons of books stuffed into all the compartments.
Michael Frampton
And if you had to choose only three of those books to recommend to others, what would they be?
Liz Clark
Okay, let's see. Top three books. I would say maybe in terms of self-growth and self-awareness, I would choose The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. For adventure books, I think it would be between the book Audrey Sutherland wrote called Paddling and The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier. It's more of a sailing book, but his way of describing his relationship with the ocean and the way he kind of rebels against society—I saw a lot of our journey in that and really related to his story. I just recently read a book that I love called Hōkūleʻa: How I Keep Rising. It's the story of the Hōkūleʻa and how Polynesian navigation was kind of rediscovered through Nainoa Thompson and how they built this traditional sailing canoe and did the journey to Tahiti. It's so incredible learning how they rediscovered the use of the stars and the sky and the chart—it was fascinating.
Michael Frampton
Highly cool. Thanks for those recommendations.
Liz Clark
I'll make sure they're in the show notes.
Michael Frampton
I wanted to ask you—you sort of mentioned it before—femininity. How would you define that word? And how has the definition of it changed since you left Santa Barbara all those years ago?
Liz Clark
Well, I think growing up in Southern California, I had this impression that femininity had to be a certain way and that beauty in general and femininity were kind of wrapped up in this one sort of way that women were supposed to look. When I got out on my voyage, it took me years to break down those principles in my mind. It was so ingrained in me that femininity equaled pink dresses and big hair and lipstick and the things that are traditionally kind of associated with femininity. Understanding my own version of femininity and allowing myself to not only explore that but validate to myself what femininity could look like—being in places way off the beaten path where women weren't raised with those ideals at all and their confidence and beauty—I began to see femininity in a new light through a lot of these women that I met in these really remote places. I saw that it has so much more to do with your confidence and owning yourself and what you love. So yeah, being able to start incorporating those ideas into my own definition and version of femininity changed my life so much. To accept that I wasn't the girl who wanted to wear frilly dresses, but I was and am feminine in such a beautiful way. The femininity that is part of me is what allowed me to slow down and embrace nature in a way that maybe the more masculine side of me never really allowed. Especially trying to go out there and be a captain and live in this very male-oriented world of being a boat owner and even a surfer—these were male-dominated scenes that I was pushing myself into. I thought I had to be masculine to succeed and to fit in. When I allowed myself to embrace my style of femininity, I think it really allowed me to succeed and be proud of myself in a new way. It definitely changed the way I sailed, changed the way I surfed, and made my life a lot more enjoyable because I embraced who I really am.
Michael Frampton
Wow, I love that. So the subtitle is Sailing Surfer’s Voyage of Awakening. It's very apt, but it's not just awakening in one aspect—it's spiritual, relationships, your relationship with the ocean and surfing, your diet and how it's affected your health. It's a very broad and awesome book—there's so much in it. Just as we finish off, let me ask you: if there was one piece of advice from this book that you could give to your younger self, what would that be?
Liz Clark
I think it would be to embrace those obstacles as opportunities. Embrace challenges as something to learn from. Embrace difficult people as your chance to practice your virtues. It's kind of the same kernel right there, which would have allowed me to avoid a lot of pain and frustration as a young person, I think. And really to just be myself and love myself and embrace who I am no matter what other people thought. And don't compare myself to others as much.
Michael Frampton
Nice. Love that. So, swellvoyage.com—is that the best place for people to find out more about you?
Liz Clark
Yeah, they can find out about me there and as well on Instagram at Captain Liz Clark.
Michael Frampton
Awesome. Well Liz, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to chat with Surf Mastery and my listeners. I will have links to all of that stuff in the show notes for listeners. And yeah, I encourage everyone to read the book and follow you on Instagram. Do you have any adventures coming up?
Liz Clark
What's next? Well, I'm currently undertaking an adventure to spay and neuter all the dogs on the island where I'm living—dogs and cats. My nonprofit is undertaking a big campaign this year to reduce overpopulation and animal suffering here on this island. I've kind of shifted my adventure into community activism, and for the moment I don't have a big sailing venture on the horizon, but I'm really enjoying this really different sort of adventure. Having to work with others and work with the government and the municipality—it has its challenges in a whole new way, so that's great.
Michael Frampton
All right. Well Liz, thank you so much for taking the time.
Liz Clark
Yeah, thank you so much for the invite and the nice questions. Appreciate it.
103 Captain Liz Clark - Adventure Surfer
For the passionate surfer—whether you're a weekend warrior, a surf dad, or an older surfer—this podcast is all about better surfing and deeper stoke. With expert surf coaching, surf training, and surfing tips, we’ll help you catch more waves, refine your paddling technique, and perfect your pop up on a surfboard. From surf workouts to handling wipeouts, chasing bigger waves, and mastering surf technique, we’re here to make sure you not only improve but truly enjoy surfing more—so you can get more out of every session and become a wiser surfer. Go from Beginner or intermediate Surfer to advanced.