Surfer hits the books
Billie Scott is now studying a masters degree in Tauranga
I wasn’t thinking about going straight into a masters, I was planning on the world SUP tour, but because of Covid I thought it was a good time to keep studying. Northland surfer and stand-up paddleboarder Billie Scott
Competitive surfer and paddleboarder Billie Scott is back in New Zealand after her plans to travel and compete internationally were thwarted by Covid-19.
The former Whanga¯rei resident spent the first two years of her undergraduate bachelor of science degree studying at the University of Waikato. She had last year embarked on an exchange programme at the University of Manoa in Hawaii to focus on her stand-up paddleboard (SUP) training while completing her degree.
When the pandemic hit, her studies moved online.
Scott’s initial plans to travel and qualify for the APP World SUP Tour, with the goal of competing professionally, were shelved and she decided to continue her studies and begin her masters degree.
The 21-year-old returned to New Zealand last December and is now living in Mount Maunganui while pursuing her masters in coastal ecology at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus.
“I wasn’t thinking about going straight into a masters, I was planning on the world SUP tour, but because of Covid I thought it was a good time to keep studying,” she said.
Scott, a self-confessed “water baby”, has spent a lot of time on the water, either surfing, wing-foiling, kitesurfing or stand-up paddleboarding.
Her parents are also in the water sport business: Dad is a surfboard manufacturer and designs kitesurfing boards for North Kiteboarding International and Mum helps with the business.
Scott competed throughout her undergraduate studies, taking out the U20 Billabong Grom series at Piha in 2018.
In 2019 she represented New Zealand at the ISA World Stand Up
Paddleboard championships in El Salvador, placing 10th in the open women’s category.
Scott, a former Whanga¯rei Girls’ High School student, graduated in Hamilton on April 21 with a bachelor of science, majoring in ecology and biodiversity.
For her masters, she is focusing on researching the impacts of sedimentation and how the community can plan, understand and protect the Maketu estuary ecosystem.
Though she’s not yet sure what the future will hold, it’s likely to be a career in ecology consulting.
“I’m really passionate about the coastal environment,” she said.
“Growing up where I did in Whananaki, I was always in the water and aware of the coastal environment, and I’m passionate about sustainable planning methods.
“I’d like to give back to the place that has given me so many opportunities.”
Scott also hopes to one day be able to travel and compete overseas again.
‘I’ve always been a competitive surfer, and stand-up paddleboarding is definitely what I want to do.”