OCEANSIDE, Calif. — San Diego County helped put surfing on the map. For decades, San Diego has turned out some of the best surfers in the world.
Now, a new one has arrived.
Caity Simmers is an 18-year-old surfing phenom from Oceanside who is now ranked number one on the World Surf League's Championship Tour.
CBS 8's Shawn Styles had a chance to sit down with Caity to talk about growing up in Oceanside, surfing, and getting ranked as the top women surfer in the world.
First, let's work our way backward.
Caity started this year's World Surf Leagues Championship Tour by winning the Lexus Pipe Pro at Banzai Pipeline.
"Probably all my waves today were the best waves I've ever gotten out here, it was a good day. I love that wave. It happens so quick and can be pretty terrifying."
Weighing just 110 pounds and standing 5' 2", Caity described the feeling she had when she saw the massive wave at Pipeline rolling onto the shallow reef.
"I just saw this big peak coming, I thought it was going to be a good 'Backdoor' wave and by the time I looked up I was in this huge barrel."
Check out Caity's final heat at Pipeline:
This is Caity's second year on the World Surf League Championship Tour. So far this year, she won at Pipeline and got another win at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia with 15 seconds left.
She tells CBS 8 what she felt as she saw the wave coming as the timer ticked down.
"Wow, I thought. This is going to be a good wave; am I going to get this wave and get the score? I ended up getting the score, it was surreal," said Caity.
That victory earned her the top spot on the Championship Tour at the halfway point in the season.
Last year, Caity's first on the tour, she won at MEO (MAYO) Rip Curl Pro in Portugal and VIVO Rio Pro in Brazil.
She could have been on the tour in 2022, at just 16 years of age but she passed.
"I just wanted to stay at home a little bit and focus on friends and family, honestly I don't regret it for a second."
Caity says her strength comes from family.
CBS 8 asked Caity's mom, Ali, how it felt to know her daughter was the top-ranked surfer in the world.
"She's just my beautiful, wonderful daughter who just happens to be number one in the world for surfing.
Caity started surfing when she was just six years old. She also grew up doing dance, martial arts, little league baseball where she was a pitcher and a shortstop, and skateboarding, which she still does very well.
Caity is also a singer and a cinematographer with her own company called, 'Toasted.'
Aside from finishing the tour on the right foot, Caity is looking toward this year's Olympics where she will compete on the US Surf Team.
"Yeah, it's pretty amazing that I'm going to be in it. It's prestigious, it's a worldwide thing so, it's pretty cool I'm in it."
The surf competition is in Tahiti on a wave called Teahupo'o.
"It's a scary wave, it's perfect and beautiful, but it's scary," said Caity.
But before the Olympics, it's back on the second half of the WSL Champions Tour with the new school of young women surfers charging to the Lexus final at Lower Trestles in September.
"I'm pretty pumped that I can be part of it, I'm pretty honored to be where I am."
Check out Caity Simmers Surf Film, 'Toasted'.
Watch the full interview with Caity below.