{{Short description|Hawaiian big-wave surfer and equal pay activist}} {{Infobox surfer | name = Paige Alms | image = | caption = Alms at the 2025 Big Wave Awards | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|4|6}} | birth_place = Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | height = 5 ft 8 in | weight = | stance = Regular | wsl_ranking = | sponsors = Patagonia, Sanuk, Dakine, Yeti, Red Bull, SOS Surfboards }}

'''Paige Alms''' (born April 6, 1988) is a Canadian-born Hawaiian big wave surfer and a two-time World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave World Champion. She is widely regarded as a pioneer in women's big wave surfing, becoming the sport's first-ever female world champion in 2016 and the first woman to successfully ride a barrel at Peʻahi (Jaws).<ref name="WSLProfile">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/375/paige-alms |title=Paige Alms Athlete Profile |publisher=World Surf League |access-date=2026-03-06}}</ref>

== Early life and education == Alms was born in Victoria, British Columbia, and moved to Maui at the age of nine. She began surfing at age ten at Ho'okipa. By age 15, she had surfed her first big wave session at an outer reef on Maui, mentored by surfboard shaper Chris Vandervoort. During her early 20s, she funded her career by working various jobs, including ding repair, house painting, and catering, to maintain her travel and equipment costs.<ref name="Freesurf">{{cite magazine |title=Paige Alms: Maui's Big Wave Dame |magazine=Freesurf Magazine |date=2014-11-09 |url=https://freesurfmagazine.com/paige-alms/}}</ref>

== Career == Alms initially competed on the WSL Qualifying Series, notably winning the Explorer Women's Championship in 2006. However, she eventually transitioned away from small-wave contests to focus exclusively on big wave surfing.<ref name="SurferNSSA">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfer.com/culture/nationals-the-results-070306 |title=NSSA National Championships: The Results |work=Surfer Magazine |date=2006-07-03}}</ref>

=== Pe'ahi Jaws dominance and World Titles === In 2015, Alms gained international acclaim for being the first woman to successfully navigate a barrel at Pe'ahi (Jaws).<ref name="Surfer">{{cite web |url=https://www.surfer.com/culture/paige-alms-jaws-barrel |title=Paige Alms explains her Jaws barrel |publisher=Surfer |date=2015-02-05}}</ref> In 2016, she won the inaugural Pe'ahi Women's Challenge, which secured her the first-ever WSL Women's Big Wave world title. She successfully defended her world champion title in 2017.<ref name="ESPN">{{cite news |last1=O'Mara |first1=Kelly |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/story/_/id/22324948/paige-alms-carving-new-path-women-big-wave-surfing |title=Paige Alms is carving a new path for women in big-wave surfing |work=ESPN |date=2018-02-04}}</ref>

In 2023, Alms was part of the historic first group of women to compete in the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational at Waimea Bay. She has remained a top invitee for the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 seasons, consistently recording the highest scores among female competitors in mixed-gender heats.<ref name="Aikau">{{cite web |url=https://www.theeddieaikau.com/ |title=Eddie Aikau Invitees |publisher=Eddie Aikau Foundation |access-date=2026-03-06}}</ref>

=== Equal pay and gender equity advocacy === Alms is a founding member of the '''Committee for Equity in Women's Surfing (CEWS)''', established in 2016 to secure equal pay and competitive opportunities for female surfers.<ref name="CEWS">{{cite web |url=https://surfequity.org/paige-alms |title=Paige Alms - Surf Equity |publisher=Surf Equity |access-date=2026-03-06}}</ref> Alongside Bianca Valenti, Keala Kennelly, and Andrea Moller, Alms advocated the California Coastal Commission to mandate equal prize money for the Mavericks big wave contest.

Their advocacy was instrumental in the WSL's 2018 announcement that it would offer equal prize money for every WSL-controlled event from 2019 onward, making professional surfing the first North American-based sports league to achieve full pay parity.<ref name="Inverse">{{cite magazine |last=Bahr |first=Robbie |title=Paige Alms is solving the most expensive problem in pro surfing |magazine=Inverse |date=2020-01-15 |url=https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/61063-paige-alms-inverse-future-50}}</ref>

== Media and public image == Alms has appeared on the covers of the ''New York Times Magazine''<ref name="NYTMag">{{cite web |last1=Branch |first1=John |title=The Fight for Gender Equality in One of the Most Dangerous Sports on Earth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/07/magazine/women-surf-big-wave.html |website=The New York Times Magazine |date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> and ''California Sunday Magazine''.<ref name="CalSundayMag">{{cite web |last1=Tsui|first1=Bonnie|title=Female big-wave surfers prepare to compete on Mavericks’s 50-foot waves for the first time |url=https://story.californiasunday.com/surfing-mavericks/ |website=California Sunday Magazine |date=August 1, 2018}}</ref> Her journey and activism are the focus of several documentaries: * ''The Wave I Ride'' (2015) – Directed by Devyn Bisson. * ''SHEChange'' (2024) – Directed by Sachi Cunningham, chronicling the decade-long fight for pay equity in surfing.<ref name="SheChange">{{cite magazine |title=SheChange Documentary Breaks Big Wave Surfing Boundaries |magazine=Sea Maven Magazine |date=2025-05-01 |url=https://www.seamavenmagazine.com/blog/she-change}}</ref>

== Awards and achievements == {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Event/Organization !! Award/Title |- | 2015 || WSL Big Wave Awards || {{gold1}} '''Women’s Best Performance''' |- | 2016 || World Surf League || {{gold1}} '''Big Wave World Champion''' |- | 2017 || World Surf League || {{gold1}} '''Big Wave World Champion''' |- | 2017 || SIMA || {{gold1}} '''Waterman of the Year''' |- | 2022 || Red Bull Magnitude || {{gold1}} '''Winner: Best Paddle & Best Ride''' |- | 2023 || Red Bull Magnitude || {{gold1}} '''Overall Winner'''<ref name="Inertia">{{cite web |url=https://www.theinertia.com/surf/paige-alms-wins-third-annual-red-bull-magnitude/ |title=Paige Alms Wins Third-Annual Red Bull Magnitude |publisher=The Inertia |date=2023-03-27}}</ref> |- | 2024 || The Eddie Aikau Invitational || Finalist (Top Female) |- | 2025 || The Eddie Aikau Invitational || 2025-2026 Invitee |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.paigealms.com Official Website] * {{WSL profile|1608}}

Category:1988 births Category:Canadian female surfers Category:American female surfers Category:Living people Category:People from Maui Category:Big wave surfers