Caroline Marks | Top Florida Surfer Girl

Caroline Marks was born February 14, 2002 in Boca Raton, Florida. She grew up in Melbourne Beach, Florida where she first began surfing at the age of 4, but didn’t get serious until around the age of 9. It was from surfing with her brothers that created a fire and a competitive edge for Caroline to excel in surfing. Being a middle child of 6 siblings, Caroline’s big backyard consisted of a moto track, halfpipe, and a surf break right across the street. By the time she turned 13, Caroline entered the ranks of professional surfing by winning the first of two Vans US Open of Surfing titles in the Pro Junior division. Those performances earned her a chance to surf in her first Championship Tour event at Lower Trestles in 2015, making her the youngest surfer ever to compete in one.

In 2014, her father, Darren Marks, moved the family to San Clemente, California after her older brother, Zach, launched a successful social network specifically designed for kids. The move not only propelled her brother’s business, but it also gave Caroline the opportunity to surf World class waves along the Southern California coast. To continue chasing her dream of being a professional surfer, Caroline has been home-schooled since the 5th grade.

In 2017, Caroline made history by being the youngest woman to qualify for the Championship Tour (CT) at age 15 and earned her first Regional Title along the way. And just this year Caroline has won the 2018 Women’s North America Qualifying Series (QS) Regional Title for the second consecutive year. It seems she continues to raise the bar for women’s surfing at a young age and was nearly untouchable at every regional event she attended — only contesting at three of the six regional stops.

Caroline sealed a remarkable regional run with her runner-up behind three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore at the 2018 Paul Mitchell Neon Supergirl Pro in Oceanside, California. The 2018 CT Rookie showed her apt for a steep learning curve by taking down former event winner and CT veteran Hawaiian Coco Ho before falling to Moore’s explosive Finals performance. But, Marks displayed just as much grace in losing as she does winning and took it as an opportunity to grow even more in a sport where athletes lose much more often than they win.

As she continues to rise in the ranks of professional surfing, Caroline has her eyes on the 2020 Olympics. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself to make the Olympics, but that’s definitely a goal of mine, 100 percent. It would be pretty amazing,” Caroline said.
As she continues to be coached by former Tour Pro, Mike Parsons, Caroline’s goal for this year is to learn and have fun while blitzing the best waves in the world with her high-powered attack.

Facts about Caroline: She enjoys fishing and snowboarding, loves dogs and her favorite surfers are Carissa Moore and Gabriel Medina.