Ginger Caimi is certainly attracting attention in the longboarding world. Photo: WSL
Thirteen-year-old Ginger Caimi isn’t old enough to have a phone, but she’s old enough to compete for the World Surf League (WSL) Longboard title. Caimi, who still has to borrow her father’s phone when she wants to post to her Instagram, is pushing into new frontiers as a 13-year-old who qualified for a WSL pro tour.
In June, the Canary Island-based teen phenom took the win at a WSL qualifier in Spain. She did it by defeating the two-time ISA champ Alice Lemoigne. The win launched her into second place in the European regional qualification, earning her a spot on the 2025 world tour, which kicks off July 26 in California.
Despite competing against women more than twice her age, Caimi remains confident in her abilities. Her recent win over Lemoigne marked a major milestone.
Caimi’s style is well advanced for her age. Photo: WSL
“I was thinking, ‘Wow, I’m ahead of the two-time world champion,’” said Caimi of the win. “(Lemoigne) surfs very well, so I was super happy to get first.”
Caimi, the daughter of an Italian father and a Chinese mother, speaks five languages: Italian, Mandarin, English, Spanish, and some French. She began surfing with her father at three years old and was paddling into waves on her own by five. By seven, she was already entering competitions. That’s how she discovered her natural talent for longboarding and a desire to pursue it as her life’s passion.
“I love competing with other girls,” said Caimi. “Around nine or 10, I started competing with older girls, and that’s when I realized that I was good. I had a level like them.”
In 2024, she earned the honor of representing her country, Italy, at the ISA longboard championships in El Salvador, where she finished 21st out of 54 competitors. When she returned in 2025, she improved her ranking to 16th.
Caimi says she’s keeping her goals in check, balancing big dreams with perspective. But she’s confident that, even at her age, she is capable of holding her own.
“My goal is to finish top 10 on the tour so I re-qualify for next year,” explained Caimi. “I just want to take it easy and not stress myself out. I’m super young, so I am just happy that I made it. But my dream is to make it to the final at El Sunzal (El Salvador). I think I can do it.”
To be able to travel and compete on the longboard tour, Caimi transitioned to an online school with a focus on the arts this year. Moving outside of a physical classroom has made maintaining friends a bit difficult, she admits, but traveling the world to surf has also connected her with a new global network of surfers.
Even though Caimi has her first world tour event approaching, she’s already setting her sights much higher: the Olympics. She was dejected when she heard the news that the International Olympic Committee had declined to include longboarding in LA 2028, but she’s confident the discipline will be added to the Olympics sooner rather than later.
“I have time,” said Caimi. “I have time to learn more before I try to make it to the Olympics.”
Unlike most kids her age, Caimi says she doesn’t have any heroes or surfers whom she tries to idolize. She’s carving her own path in the world of surfing. Although she does admit that it would be a dream to share a surf session with WSL longboard champion Soleil Errico.
She just turned 13 in May and will surf the full 2025 longboard tour – from California to Australia to Abu Dhabi – before she even enters high school. And with her prime years of surfing still ahead of her, she’s poised to leave a lasting mark on the sport.
