Name: Alana Blanchard
Nicknames: Lana
Hometown: Kauai, Hawaii, USA
Age: 23 (dob 5 March 1990)
Stance: Regular
Sponsors: Rip Curl wetsuits and clothing, Reef footwear, Spy eyewear, Sticky Bumps accessories, GoPro cameras, Rockstar energy drinks and Channel Islands Surfboards
 
Alana Blanchard is one the most famous women in the surfing world as she combines great surfing ability with beauty.  She infamously models for Rip Curl and Reef, and is known for her choice of smaller bikinis, much to her male fan's approval. Not one to be shy, she has embraced the limelight and made the most of her stunning figure and now even designs for Rip Curl.
 
Born and raised on the idilic island of Kauai, Hawaii, she grew up surfing, so it is little wonder that she turned professional at a young age, and has gone on to be part of the world's elite surfer ranks- the WCT.  She qualified for the ASP's world championship tour in 2009, and reached 13th place in the world at the end of the year.  Re-qualified again in 2011, placing 16th over all, and is back again this year... and is currently sitting at 10th in the world after a couple of good finishes at Roxy Pro Gold Coast, and the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, where she placed 5th at both.

 
Alana often divides opinion between fellow surfers as often she receives more attention for her looks than for her surfing. She has been named one of Men's Health Magazine Sexiest Women in Sports, and also one of the ‘hottest female surfers in the world', so raises the question of whether she helps to objectify female surfers by their figure and the size of their bikini, rather than how they surf.
 
Regardless of what current public opinion may be, Alana can surf and is doing things her own way with her own show on Youtube about her life in Hawaii called Surfer Girl.  There are little glimpses of her favourite surf spots, into what her day is like, and the other amazing surfer mates she's known all her life... such as fellow professional surfer Bethany Hamilton, who infamously lost her left arm to a shark attack when she was only 13 years old.  Alana was with her at the time of the attack, and they now both feature in the Hollywood film about their lives ‘Soul Surfer'.
 
For an idea on just how good Alana is at surfing, and to find out what the fuss is about, check out the clip below:
 


This article was added by Francesca Bingley