The tides have turned for long-time competitive surfer Freya Prumm, who was this week crowned Australian surf champion at the open shortboard competition in North Haven Beach, south of Port Macquarie on NSW's North Coast.
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Becoming a first-time Australian champion wasn't the only thing Freya was celebrating as she looked back on her 13 years of competing in surfing events.
Freya, from Merimbula on NSW's South Coast, said her breakthrough marked a changing point in her life, which was brought about by her diligence and patience and "never giving up on your dreams".
"I think the only reason I had this achievement today is because I never gave up and kept being patient about receiving those results," she told ACM this week.
The 30-year-old surfer was raised in Merimbula and spent much of her childhood playing in the waves of the pristine Sapphire Coast beaches.
Freya's parents were both avid surfers, who took every opportunity to teach their daughter how to surf and encouraged her to make a name for herself.
But the journey didn't start smoothly for Freya, nor did life have an easy path laid ahead for her.
Yet, despite all odds, Freya persisted, keeping her love for the ocean close to heart.
"My parents love to surf and they tried to teach me when I was super young, but I suffered from eczema and it really stung when I got into the salt water," she said.
Freya's skin condition didn't stop her though and by late primary school she had begun competing at events, throwing herself into the sport.
When high school came around, Freya concentrated on her study, applying herself so that she could follow in the footsteps of her father and take over the family-run business.
"My father owns the pharmacy in Pambula and the goal was that I'd become a pharmacist, to make sure it stayed in the family," she said.
However, Freya's dedication to study was put on hold after a near-death experience when she almost drowned in a jet ski accident and was airlifted to Canberra.
"That happened literally a day after I finished my final HSC exam and I didn't really get to experience the sense of freedom from finishing school," she said.
Coming out of that Freya said she battled clinical depression, but managed to pull herself out of it through the support of family and friends, Greg 'Slim' Otton being a standout.
"He's actually the father of another professional surfer from Tathra, Kai Otton, and yeah, he really pushed me to do the world surfing tour," she said.
One year later Freya began a three-year surfing adventure that took her across the world, from Sri Lanka to Brazil, Europe and right across America.
"All those hard yards in the early days really helped me get to where I am today and my dad taking me to all those international events really helped me experience what surfing under the pressure of competitions is like," she said.
In 2013, Freya moved to the Gold Coast and began her university studies to becoming a pharmacist, which she successfully completed in 2018.
Afterwards she spent a year dedicated to surfing again and competing overseas.
"I still didn't achieve like I wanted to, but then I did really well at a competition in China in 2020, which ironically had been dubbed the Corona China Open," she said.
Freya said it had been her first major accomplishment, having placed ninth at the "biggest rated event I could go in".
However, just as she'd started on the upswing, COVID-19 broke out and events were put on hold as the world tried to come to terms with the disease.
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Despite this setback, Freya made use of the time to complete her pharmacist internship at her father's practice in Pambula on the NSW South Coast.
"It was actually one of the best years of my life, when I wasn't working I was surfing and exploring beaches along the Sapphire Coast with my partner Patty," she said.
Fast forward to one month before the Australian Open in early August 2022, Freya noticed a change in her luck after returning from a competition in South Africa.
"I feel like South Africa kind of changed my life a little bit. I just loved being there and I felt like I got into a really good groove," she said.
One thing led to another and Freya found herself competing in the finals for the Australian Shortboard titles at the Australian Surf Championships.
"I represented NSW and it was basically a handful of the best in each state competing for the Australian title," she said.
The day that changed the tides
Freya said despite the tension and her nerves, she'd been determined to win.
"I just knew I couldn't let it slip away and so I did everything I could to have a positive outcome," she said.
At first Freya wasn't sure she was going to win, starting the heat on the backfoot. But after catching a good wave she decided to reposition herself away from the other surfers and paddled over to a different bank.
"I paddled way down to the other side of the beach and it was a decision that got me the win," she said.
"I had that little bit of luck and the ocean just gave me this perfect wave."
Freya said winning the title and becoming part of Australian surf history was a dream come true and she was delighted to have her name on a plaque beside other surfing champions.
"Having my name next to some of my best friends who have also won was the part that was really special for me," she said.
Looking to the future Freya said she looked forward to competing in more competitions and opens across Australia and abroad, without the pressure of wanting to score her first win.
"If the world ended tomorrow I'd have no regrets because I've had my big moment and it's something I'm really proud to have achieved after all these years and all my efforts," she said.