If you would like to view the complete photo shoot with Nataly Bernold, click here , thanks to Scott Alexander for the photography and interview.

At 7am on the south end of Jacó beach, Nataly Bernold casually pedals up on her bike, surfboard under her arm. The gray sky above is reflected a bright, metallic blue in her sunglasses; her smile radiates even more brilliantly.

Little did I know when I first planned to meet this surfer girl that I would be meeting a national champ. After Nataly mentioned her placement in the 2013 World Surfing Games in Panama back in May, I dug a little deeper and found out exactly the level at which she surfed. Having won three Costa Rica national championships and three Central American championships, Nataly is well known on the circuit. At twenty years old, she’s been on the Costa Rica National Surf Team ten times. And she remains humble about all of it.

Standing on the shoreline in Jacó, I would see very shortly exactly why she’s a champion. Over the next three days, in the early morning hours, Nataly would dominate the waves in this central Pacific coast town she now calls home. Growing up in Puerto Viejo (a small town along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica) and with her father being an avid surfer, it was almost guaranteed that surfing would play a large part of her life. Fascinated by the other kids riding waves, she began boogie boarding. At 10 years old, she got her first surfboard, a present from her father, and she has been surfing ever since.

After moving to Tamarindo five years ago, Nataly became part of the Roxy surf team in Costa Rica, comprised today of two men and two women. The waves in Tamarindo are awesome, she says, but Jaco is truly best throughout the winter (rainy season). As for a favorite spot, Hermosa ranks near the top but Pavones… she laughs and gets an almost dreamy look in her eyes when she talks about surfing at Pavones.

Professionally, it’s an interesting world. Her sponsors (Roxy, Mango, Curve, FCS) all provide gear, of course, to help her along in her career. Clothes, watches, fins, sunscreen, etc. And then there’s the pay as well. But surfing is a solitary sport so riders are constantly competing against themselves, training on their own. The circuit can be difficult and tournaments are tough.

The women are especially competitive, she tells me. “Like slicing fins kind of competitive,” I ask. She laughs and says no. So what advice does she have for up and coming female surfers?

“Surf a lot, eat well, and work hard. It’s difficult but if you want to do it, you can do it.”

Wise words spoken from experience. It’s certainly been a working formula for Nataly. And here’s something exceptionally cool: if you’re interested in learning how to surf and perhaps even following in her footsteps, Nataly also gives lessons at Del Mar Surf Academy in Jaco. So you can learn directly from the pro herself! The school offers one-on-one classes as well as group trips for more experienced surfers up and down the Pacific coast from Esterillos to Boca Barranca.

At twenty years old, Nataly is living the surfer’s dream life; a professionally sponsored rider living in Costa Rica, competing nationally. What’s up next for this Costa Rican surfer girl? 2014 is the year she’s entering qualifying tournaments. She plans to compete on the world stage. Day in day out, she follows her own recipe for success and, undoubtedly, her future is as bright as her smile.