Boring® Questions, Interesting Answers
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What do pro surfers, oat milk, and poisson cru au lait de coco have in common? Nothing really, unless your name’s Saffi Vette.
Saffi is a world-class surfer from the small town of Gisborne, Te Tairāwhiti — meaning "the coast where the sun shines across the water." Now, she’s repping New Zealand on the WSL Qualifying Series and eyeing the podium in Paris. She’s taken the hometown mindset global: consistent, grounded, and relentless.
Like Saffi, we’re small-town born, locally made, and currently trying not to mess things up in Australia. Naturally, we teamed up.
We asked Saffi some Boring Questions, so you can get to know her a little better.
What first drew you to surfing?
My fondest memories as a grommet are of being in the ocean with my family for hours on summer days. That’s where I learned patience—and that the ocean has its own way of gifting you waves, while reminding you to stay humble the moment you get too confident.
Where did you grow up, and what does that place mean to you now?
I grew up down Makorori Beach, in Gisborne. It’s still just my own slice of paradise! I can go anywhere barefoot, surf on my own, and somewhere I’ll always return to and be automatically comfortable.
What’s the least glamorous part of being a pro surfer, the part no one really sees?
Probably dragging my overweight 6’1 board bag—stuffed with six boards, through airports and onto public transport in foreign countries, where people genuinely think I’ve stowed away a dead body. Ubers hate to see me coming!
What’s a quiet ritual you always do before or after a surf?
Pre surf I rub sand in-between my hands and on my feet. Get the zinc off my hands and more grip on my feet?! I’m honestly not sure if it even works.
What’s your go-to snack or drink after a long surf session?
Avocado and Vegemite toast, a protein smoothie, and a coffee — maybe even a little sweet treat on the side.
What’s your desert island dish, the one meal you’d happily eat forever?
Poisson cru au lait de coco!!! Take me back to Tahiti!
What’s one surf break you always come back to?
Nana’s - IYKYK, it’s the only place my mum surfs (not calling her a nana), don’t bother trying to paddle out! She’ll burn you! Haha!
What’s a moment in the water that’s stayed with you?
Sharing waves with my dad, brother and mum at our home break on a lovely summers day.
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What does your family think your job is?
My daughter swears I “sell sauce” and my husband insists I “just move boxes around.”