Brisa Hennessy

Brisa Tomi Hennessy Kobara (born September 16, 1999) is a Costa Rican professional surfer who competes in the World Surf League (WSL). In 2019, Hennessy's standing in the WSL qualified her to represent Costa Rica for Surfing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Olympics marked the first instance for surfing to be recognised as an Olympic sport. She participated at the 2024 Olympic Games achieving the fourth place, one of the best performances for a Costa Rican athlete.

Early life When she was three years old, Hennessy stood up on her first wave. She was born in San José, but grew up on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, where both of her parents ran a surf school. Hennessy lived in Costa Rica until the age of nine when she moved to Oahu to pursue a professional surfing career. She also spent summers in Fiji, giving her exposure to some of the best conditions the sport has to offer at a young age. Brisa still lives somewhat of a nomadic lifestyle to this day, traveling from place to place wherever her career takes her. She does not have a permanent residence.

Career victories WCT WinsYearEventVenueCountry 2022 Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Sunset Beach, Oahu WSL Challenger Series WinsYear Event VenueCountry2021 Roxy Pro FranceHossegor, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Professional career Hennessy qualified for the World Surf League Championship Tour in 2018 at the age of 18. She became the first Costa Rican to qualify for the tour. She recorded her highest finish ever at the WSL Corona Bali Protected event in 2019, where she took home third place at the annual event.

She is represented professionally by Athelo Group, a sports agency based out of Stamford, Connecticut.

Brisa Hennessy qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She secured her spot thanks to her strong performance on the Championship Tour. This will be her second consecutive Olympic appearance, following her impressive fifth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on which got defeated by surfer Caroline Marks in the quarterfinals.

Current life

Outside of surfing, Hennessy enjoys cooking. She is a plant-based athlete who started her own YouTube channel during the pandemic to share her vegan recipes with fans and followers.