Dirty Water: The Ultimate Surfer’s breakout star Malia Ward on her decade-long feud with Tia Blanco, getting rich on crypto and the seven-year anniversary of putting Gabriel Medina to the sword at Lowers!

Whispered conversations, impish bursts of laughter and mysteriously indignant 'Oh's'!

Today’s guest on Dirty Water is Malia Ward, the breakout star of ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer, a serious investor in cryptocurrency and the daughter of the courageous, yet deeply flawed, pro surfer Chris Ward. 

In this episode, and amid the crackle and pop of the flawed audio, you’ll hear from a smart gal straight outta university, degree in comms, who once appeared in a high-voltage swimsuit shoot with her mammy and lived in a five-storey house at Del Mar with its own private beach and who travels, still, in limousines and private jets. 

Seven years ago, Malia put the newly crowned world champion surfer Gabriel Medina to the sword at Lowers.

She is someone whom you’d agree to have dinner with even if you weren’t hungry and whose angelic face is framed with silky yellow curls caught in a spot of moon glow. 

She was described by BeachGrit’s TV critic Jen See as “savage”.

Comments move to a new system on Tuesday 22 September 2026. Your existing comments come with you. From that day you comment with wpDiscuz instead of Disqus, right here on the same page.
Load Comments