What It's Like: To Be A Surfing Magazine Swim Issue Model

Amanda Booth in a Beach Riot bikini shooting Surfing Magazine's Swimsuit Issue 2013. Photo via the Swim Issue Facebook page.

Most of us are shy about letting someone take our photo in a bikini, let alone plaster it on the pages of a glossy like Surfing Magazine. Not Amanda Booth, the gorgeous-as-all-getout blonde who graces Surfing's 2013 Swim Issue for the second year in a row. We caught up with her to find out what it's actually like to be a swim issue model— turns out she's a pizza-eating, real-deal surfer with honest advice for living out of a van, and we love her to death:

You've appeared in Surfing's annual swim issue before. Were you excited to get the call again?
I was very excited! I don't often have the chance to partake in modeling jobs that involve things I actually like in my "real" life. Not to mention it was a location shoot—I never get to go on those, so I was most looking forward to traveling with such a rad crew.

Behind-the-scenes. Photo by Amanda Booth.

Tell me about preparing to be in a swim issue. Do you train or eat differently?
I don't do what you would imagine a model to do before shooting swimwear. I guess I eat one less slice of pizza...but I still eat the pizza! The only thing I worry about is poop babies (is that okay to say?). You're up at the butt crack of dawn—pun intended. Four in the morning was our usual call time to be sure to shoot during the best hours of light during the day. Traveling around the world is enough to give you a belly ache, let alone being up that early in a house of 15 strangers. So I just be sure to eat a lot of good fiber a few days before.



You shot in Australia on a scorcher—how did you manage to feel sexy in the heat? What was your favorite bikini from the shoot?
The hardest part was being sexy amongst the massive beach crowd (on the hottest day in Bondi ever recorded). Keeping energy up in 120 degrees is hard, too. Sweating is sexy, so that actually added to it a bit. I love any suit with a skimpy bum! Ani Bikinis makes great bottoms, and I was lucky to wear a beautiful one-piece that day by her.

"You're up at the butt crack of dawn—pun intended." Photo by Amanda Booth.

What's going through your head when you're modeling?
Aside from completely separating from my real self, nothing that I'm conscious of anymore. It's become a bit second nature unfortunately. However, swim usually requires a lot of, Tighten the abs, push out the bum, pout the lips a bit, squint the eyes.

Funniest moment on set?
Jimmy Cane bonging a beer in the middle of the day, out of a blow-up beer bong...that he brought with him...all the way to Australia.

When you aren't modeling, what kind of outdoor activities are you into?
Laying the yard with my dogs! [Laughs] Seriously!. Other than that, surfing when the damn stars align for me. We're not big hikers, but love it when we get the time to go. Camping is always our go-to.

Amanda with her pug.

You spent last summer living in a van chasing waves. What are three must-haves for life on the road?
Hand sanitizer (it's about as clean as you'll get), a good book, and an empty bottle big enough to wee in. You're not gonna want to wander to a public bathroom in the middle of the night, half asleep, alone.

What makes you a Dirtbag Darling?
You're the one that put "dirt" in the title! I think because of just that...I don't mind getting a little dirty. It's liberating how much you can live without!