“Nordborn” A cold water surf film with Isabella Nichols

WSL Championship Tour surfer Isabella Nichols has just released a full-length feature surf film ‘Nordborn’. Watch as Nichols embarks on a deeply personal journey to reconnect with her Danish heritage. Though raised in Australia, Isabella was born in Denmark and has long felt drawn back to its rugged coastline.

In the film, she travels to Denmark’s west coast to experience its powerful, icy waves for the first time and meet the small but passionate surf community that thrives there year-round. Guided by local surfer Oliver Hartkopp, Isabella discovers not only the raw beauty and challenge of cold-water surfing but also a renewed connection to her roots and the people who live in harmony with the North Sea.

‘Nordborn’ is now streaming on Nichols’ YouTube channel HERE.

WSL Championship Tour surfer Isabella Nichols said ‘Nordborn’ was a way of reconnecting with her roots:

“Travelling back to Denmark to film Nordborn was more than a creative project for me, it was a return to my roots. I wanted to explore how my Danish heritage, the raw North Sea, and the resilience you build as a surfer all intersect. Denmark isn’t a place people expect world-class waves, but that’s exactly why I went. Nordborn is about finding identity in unlikely places, embracing the elements, and showing that surfing is bigger than warm water and perfect lines, it’s about connection, culture, and the stories that shape who we are.”

Danish local and ‘Nordborn’ Director and filmer Jakob Gjerluff Ager said this project was a beautiful display of the Danish surf community:

“Connecting our local waters here in Denmark with a world-class talent like Isabella was an incredible experience. From the start, our goal was to shape a new relationship between her (Isabella) and her Danish roots, to portray the Danish surf community and hopefully capture her discovering something new about her surfing that she can take to the world stage. Sharing her first surf in truly cold water was amazing, and watching her navigate the mental process of adapting to a climate she’s connected to yet unaccustomed to made the journey even more meaningful. I’m genuinely proud to have been part of this process and deeply grateful that she trusted me to document her journey.”

Featured surfers include:

Isabella Nichols
Oliver Hartkopp
Thilde Sofie Rasmussen
Freja P. Kristensen
Finn Springborn
Toto Idrovo
Mor Meluka
Itchner Vahineura
Maya Sauer
Freja Holme Barkler

Produced by Jakob Gjerluff Ager and Kurt Jacobs

‘Nordborn’ is now streaming on Nichols’ YouTube channel HERE.