Juli Penelope

Rising star Juli Penelope Hernandez is fast becoming one of the biggest names in surfing and skating. Starring on ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer in 2021 has helped rise her profile further, but Hernandez has been skating and surfing since she was just 7 years old, and she quickly gained the respect of her peers despite both scenes being dominated by boys. With an ultimate goal to become the first girl to skateboard and surf in the U.S. Open of Surfing, she competed in both disciplines on the junior circuits. Also a keen traveller and content creator, she is taking the world of social media by storm with over 93.5k followers and 2.8 million ‘likes’ on TikTok and more than 78.2k followers on Instagram.

Hailing from Huntington Beach, Hernandez also trained as a California State Parks Lifeguard. The talented athlete has developed a charge and attack approach to her surfing but with a smooth, low flow, and her aggressive yet beautiful surf style has also transferred to her skating. A trailblazer who is determined to break down gender roles, she created a camp specifically designed to help improve the boardsport abilities of girls when she was 17 years old.

Always determined to wring the water out of any opportunity she is given, her exposure on The Ultimate Surfer is giving the trailblazing athlete a whole new audience as she continues on her mission to inspire whilst having fun.