Saffi Vette

Last updated

Saffi Vette
Personal information
Born2001 (age 24–25)
Gisborne, New Zealand
Surfing career
SportSurfing
Surfing specifications
Stanceregular

Saffi Vette (born 2001) [1] is a New Zealand surfer who competed in the women's shortboard event at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She won the New Zealand Women's Open in 2021.

Contents

Early life

Vette was born and raised in Makorori Beach, Gisborne, on the east coast of New Zealand. [1] She got her first surfboard at the age of two or three, and was taught to surf and coached by her father. [2] [3] She began surfing competitively when she was aged 11. [4]

Career

Vette won the 2019 Australian girls’ Pro Junior Final at the Hydralyte Sports Surf Series in Victoria. [2]

In 2021 Vette won the 2021 Emersons South Island Surfing Championships and the New Zealand Women's Open. [5] [6] [7] She competed at Surf City El Salvador in 2021 but did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. [8] In 2023 Vette won the Mad Mex Pro QS1000, which was held at Maroubra in New South Wales. She competed against Brazilian surfer Anne Dos Santos in the final. [9]

Vette relocated to Australia's Gold Coast. [9] In 2024 Vette competed in the World Surf League Challenger Series. [1] At the 2024 Summer Olympics, held in Tahiti, she placed 17th of 24, coming 2nd in both the first and second heats. [1] [10]

In 2025 Vette was Gisborne Boardriders Club Surfer of the Year, [11] and competed in the Taiwan QS6000, where she equalled her personal best and was runner-up to Lucy Darragh. [12]

Personal life

Vette's father and surfing mentor, Andrew Vette, died of cancer in 2020. Andrew Vette had been on the board of Surfing New Zealand. [5] Vette is dyslexic. [5] She attended Gisborne Girls' High School until Year 11, and then completed her education to partway through Year 13 by correspondence. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Saffi Vette | New Zealand Olympic Team". olympic.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Teen surfing sensation Saffi Vette on how she overcame the grief of losing her father". WOMAN. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Surf's Up: Saffi Vette wins NZ women's open for first time". RNZ. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Starling, Jesse (6 June 2024). "Crossing the ditch with NEW ZEALAND's DAUGHTER, saffi vette… – MURMUR MAG" . Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Reid, Neil (7 January 2024). "Kiwi surfer Saffi Vette, going to Paris Olympics 2024, opens up on tragedy, dyslexia and bullying". Newstalk ZB. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Past Champions - Women's". Surfing NZ. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Matt Brown (19 May 2021). "Tokyo Olympics battle: Teen surfing star Saffi Vette throws down gauntlet to Kiwi rival Ella Williams" . The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Smirnova, Lena (18 February 2024). "From living with dyslexia to tackling a "gobsmacking" wave, surfer Saffi Vette knows that grit pays off". Olympics.com. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  9. 1 2 Morrison, Derek (7 March 2023). "Saffi Vette Wins Mad Mex Pro". New Zealand Surf Journal. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "New Zealand Olympic Team". olympic.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  11. ↑ Gisborne Herald (17 March 2023). "Saffi Vette GBC surfer of the year" . The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  12. ↑ Worsley, Dave (15 November 2025). "Vette equals best finish on surfing tour". NZ Sports Wire. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Stanley, Ashley (31 August 2020). "Fast-rising surfer learns from ocean... and from dad". Newsroom. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.