Letham, Isobel (1899–1995)

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Letham, Isobel (1899–1995)

Australian pioneer surfer. Born 1899 in Sydney, Australia; died Mar 11, 1995.

Introduced to the sport by Duke Kahanamoku at Sydney's Freshwater Beach, near Manly Beach (1915), became Australia's 1st female board rider; left Australia for US (1918) to become a stunt woman in movies; later taught swimming and water ballet. Inducted into Australian surfing Hall of Fame.

See also "Heart of the Sea" (documentary, PBS).