Have you ever contacted us on social media? If so, you've probably already spoken to Celina. Or have you ever come across one of our ads while scrolling through your feed? It was almost certainly Celina's work!
Celina grew up near Freiburg in Germany and started surfing at the age of 18. Since then she has never stopped and has built her life around it. Her base is now in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. When she is not chasing waves in another part of the world, she spends her time in nature, eating good food, having great friends and exploring the island in her van. Another passion of hers is being creative with things that wash up on the beach - especially all the glass.
The connection between Celina and Oy goes back a long way. Celina bought her first Oy surf bikini 7 years ago in Fuerteventura. She fell in love with the quality and the fit right away. Then she met a girl in Nicaragua who could have been her sister. They looked so similar, and they wore exactly the same Oy bikini! From then on they were known as the German twins.
A few years later, when she moved to Gran Canaria, Celina met Oy founder Zelia while surfing. Celina had been thinking about applying to Oy for a while. Then it just clicked and it showed once again that you can achieve a lot if you just trust in life! Since then, she has been doing a lot of things for Oy. A large part of it consists of social media and close contact with our athletes and Oy maids.
Where is your favorite wave?
Celina: There is a wave in the south of Gran Canaria that is definitely my favorite spot. It only works in winter and you have to be very lucky.
What is your favorite board?
Celina: At the moment I'm surfing a 5'7 Pyzel shortboard and some longboards that I can try out at Buensurf in Las Palmas.
What is your personal mantra?
Celina: My good friend and I started saying “la vida nos cuida”, which means that life takes care of us, and we said it every time something good happened to us. Now life has brought us both to Gran Canaria, and once again life is taking care of us in a very good way.
What would you say to your 20-year-old self?
Celina: That's a good question! I think people are right when they say that every high and every low shapes you into the person you are today. So I would probably tell myself to have more faith in life because things will fall into place when the time comes.
How do you make the world a better place?
Celina: By smiling. Of course, I try my best to question our consumption and live as sustainably as possible, but I feel like people don't smile enough anymore and we've somehow lost the non-verbal connection. That's why I like to smile and laugh a lot and fill my environment with it.
What is the best advice someone has given you?
Celina: To stay the way I am.
Yes, please stay the way you are and keep doing what you love. We can't thank you enough for your valuable work!
