Kathryn Jackson

Kathryn Jackson grew up in Seal Beach, CA, where she spent much of her younger years competing in surfing and sailing, interestingly enough, right down the road from where Surfline set up its first surf camera. It was a single course in physical oceanography at UCSB, however, that spurred her fascination with calculating wave and swell physics. In 2004, Kathryn took a summer internship with Surfline, where she provided surf reports and helped with some of the early wave models, before joining the company as a full-time forecaster after graduating. Kathryn also spent time on Kauai as a contracted meteorologist, where she enjoyed secluded surf sessions on idyllic Hawaiian beaches skirting a navy base. She eventually resumed her education as a graduate student, which led to a permanent relocation to Australia in 2009. Kathryn currently resides in Margaret River, where she surfs and nerds out on wave science as much as possible. As far as career highlights, one particular forecasting memory stands out: Kathryn helped forecast one of the few XXL missions to Cortes Bank, which is about 100 miles out to sea — a place where good science can mean the difference between life and death. She nailed it.