Skip to main content The inspiring story of Betty Winstedt, the Hawaii resident who became a champion surfer in her 40s Marla Cimini FacebookTwitterEmail Betty Pembroke Heldreich Winstedt photographed surfing at Waikiki in 1956. She charted a new path, for herself and for other female surfers, as a champion athlete.Courtesy of Vicky Durand Living by the ocean can be transformative. For Betty Pembroke Heldreich Winstedt, who first learned to surf when she moved from the mainland U.S. to Waikiki in the 1950s at the age of 41, riding the legendary aquamarine waves became her passion. But surfing would become more than a hobby; Winstedt was a pioneer and champion in a sport that saw few women take to the waves.