Sarah Gerhardt: Unstable Bonds

Sarah Gerhardt: Unstable Bonds

Author: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich - surf stories & ocean adventures June 8, 2025 Duration: 1:10:54

Besides being a professor of chemistry, Dr. Sarah Gerhardt was the first woman to ride one of the world’s most feared waves, Mavericks in icy Northern California. She is a mother of two and acknowledged as the first female tow-in surfer. 

 Amidst a tumultuous childhood, Sarah found stability in an unexpected place: The Periodic Table of Elements. Sarah learned to surf in the late '80s at Pismo Beach, California. In time, surfing became her escape from the hardships of home and faith became the guiding force in her life. She started experimenting with heavy water and big waves during her freshman year at college.

One Winter Story, a documentary about Sarah's big wave pioneering and scientific inquiry, came out in 2003. 

More recently, Sarah featured in the groundbreaking documentary The Big Sea, wherein she lays out the chemical composition of neoprene - the material all of our wetsuits have been made of until very recently. 

She talks us through some surprising chemistry - and the big impact seemingly small choices can make. 

....

This episode is made possible by our generous partners:

Patagonia is in business to save our home planet. 

Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.

...

Primal Water, by Alkaway, is an at-home water filter that mimics nature and is boosted with molecular hydrogen. It's a game-changer.

Head to Primal-water.com and use the code waterpeople for $100 off your purchase until June 30th, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

...

Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich

Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander

Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll

Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander

Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast 

...

Thanks to our generous sponsors this season:

Patagonia Australia 

Alkaway

The Sunglass Fix

...

Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter.

You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox.

You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.


There’s a particular kind of life shaped by time spent in and around the ocean, one that blends saltwater with a deeper perspective. Hosted by lifelong surfers and storytellers Lauren L. Hill and Dave Rastovich, the Waterpeople Podcast explores exactly that. Each conversation is less an interview and more a shared dive with guides who know the water intimately-from scientists and activists to adventurers and artists. You’ll hear firsthand accounts that stretch beyond simple adventure tales, touching on how a connection to the sea informs everything from ecological stewardship and community building to the pure, playful joy of a wave. This podcast serves as a meeting point for a far-flung tribe, weaving together themes of inclusivity, humour, and what it means to live thoughtfully along the coast. It’s about the stories that emerge when people are truly at home in the aquatic world, offering listeners a sense of place and connection within a global ocean community. Tune in for genuine, meandering talks that feel like sitting around after a long day in the swell, where the topics are as vast and shifting as the sea itself.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 133

Waterpeople Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Liz Clark: Re-inventing Rites of Passage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:37
Liz Clark has sailed and surfed 25,000 nautical miles across and around the Pacific. Mostly solo. She is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.But before all of that, Liz started with a simple dream to explore by…
Madison Stewart: Shark Girl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:45
"I work to take back what I believe is mine, and that is a future in an ocean that has sharks.” At 14, Madison Stewart had a transformative experience with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef that set her on a path to marin…
Jake Mackenzie: More, more, more [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:16
"One is too many and a thousand isn’t enough," says Jake Mackenzie, of his adventurous, but addictive tendencies. Jake is an all-around waterman, and an entrepreneur. Jake shares a story of the spiritual awakening that l…
Hayley Talbot: Paddling in the Dark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:07
Hayley Talbot is the first person to solo kayak the great Clarence River (Boorimbah) from source to sea, a 400 kilometre voyage. She's a former competitive surfer and lawyer who found her home in fresh water. In 2017, Ha…
Derek Hynd: Conducting Chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:51
Culture shaper and former world Tour Surfer Derek Hynd has always felt like an outsider looking in. In Episode 8, he talks far field theory, seeing magic in the mundane, how style has been made irrelevant in modern compe…
Zara Noruzi: Surfing in Exile [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:29
Zara was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Iranian government for her activism. The ocean helped her find a path toward belonging after fleeing her homeland. Zara Noruzi was born an upper middle class girl with political s…
Peter Whish-Wilson: Senator Surfer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:44
Peter Whish-Wilson walked away from a big shot banking career in NYC to honor a deep responsibility to protect wild spaces and species. He's now a surfing senator for the great, wild Australian state of Tasmania. What do…
Leah Dawson: Discovering Femininity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:03
Freesurfer Leah Dawson peels back the layers and dares to ask: "What makes me feel most like myself?" and "How is my surfing an extension of that self?"There are many ways to be male, and many ways to be female. Though o…
Mark Healey: Confronting Discomfort [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:36
Legendary waterman Mark Healey lost three friends to heavy water situations through the course of the early 2000s. He speaks candidly about the ways these experiences rewired his process of risk assessment, while maintai…
Kimi Werner: Flipping Your Instincts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:28
At the height of her competitive spearfishing career, Kimi Werner began battling with inner demons that turned the once-solace of the ocean into a cacophony of self-criticism. Kimi’s is a story about attaining dreams, lo…