About me

☯ Nice to make your acquaintance, my name is Niki Liskov. I am no lifestyle guru, hot surfer girl, militant vegan or rigid yogi. I do however happen to love the good life, am a surf teacher, do not like to hurt animals and the planet and enjoy a good stretch. ☼

Why this blog?

I've started this blog because I found that people asked me a lot of questions; about living in Morocco, about girls and surfing, about being vegan, about raw food, about yoga, about traveling. So I decided to create some online space where I can write about my experiences with al the mentioned things and more, for everyone to read! 

How did I get here?

I am a late bloomer, as we say in Dutch. Born to a Ukrainian/English dad and a Dutch mum, my life started out in the landlocked South of the Netherlands. I had quite an uneventful childhood, very normal for an average Dutch girl. We went camping in France every summer, and visited my grandparents in England every Christmas and Easter. When I was eleven, I got a little glimpse of what my life would become: Kelly Slater! I used to watch Baywatch and he had the role of 'Jimmy Slade', a cool surfer dude who went for not bombshell Pamela, but the other, slightly boring girl next door (can't remember her name!). Exited about surfer boys I bought the O'Neill school planner, which was full of board babes and hot dudes. I very much wanted to be like them, but didn't really know how. 

Flash forward many years later when I finished my Bachelors in Museology. I decided tot go for a Masters in Arts & Economics but wanted to combine this with traveling. So me and a friend went to Thailand for a month. At the most unlikely spot of all, Phuket, I remembered I always wanted to learn to surf, and so I did. After this trip there was no way back and so I bought a really thick wetsuit, boots, gloves, a cap, and a 7,2" minimal and started my surfing career in the ice cold waters of the North Sea (#coldwatersurf). 

Again a few years later I obtained my ASI level 1 surf coach certificate and SLSGB life saver award, met a wonderful hot surfer who agreed to be my partner, lived in Morocco for half a year and traveled for surfing (sometimes even for free!) to Mexico, Canary Islands, Australia, France, Spain, UK and even Japan. 

And now...

At the moment I am based in Amsterdam, where I work for Huis Marseille, Photography Museum as head of the educational department. From March onwards I will start teaching surf again at  Surfana!

Happy to read your comments, make sure you follow me on Facebook & Instagram!

F.A.Q.

Where does the name 'Liskov' come from?

This is my Ukrainian last name, it's origins having to do with forestry. The other Liskovs live mainly in Ukrain around Zhitomir, and the USA. In the Netherlands my family is the only one with this last name!

How old are you?

At the moment I am 31. I love being in my thirties, I know who I am, I know things do not matter so much as I used to think when I was younger, and I am getting ready to start a family in the near future. So exciting!

Where do you live and with who?

I live in Amsterdam at the moment, together with my best friend and partner L. We are looking to other places (preferable tropical, I hate cold!) but for the moment we are very happy here in this wonderful city.

When did you change your diet?

I used to be about 15 kilo's heavier then I am now. About 5 years ago I felt I was getting more and more annoyed by the way food supply chains work here in the Netherlands (and globally) and was triggered by a newspaper article that stated that Netherlands biggest supermarket Albert Heijn was threatening famers to stop buying their product is they didn't obey very low prices set by the same supermarket. 

I decided to boycott Albert Heijn forever and instead endorse my local grocery store. I started to read a lot about food, organic food and nutrition and from here it was a small step to starting to buy organic food only. Not buying convenience supermarket food had me automatically switch to whole foods and my body told me I was on the right path, loosing 10 kilo's without any hard work. Reading even more about the food industry eventually made me a vegetarian and finally I am at where I am now, eating hardly any animal product. I do this because my health has improved ever since I started, my weight is more healthy and I am convinced our plant is better served when we all eat (mainly) plant based. 

©Luke Sadler

When did you start yoga and which type of yoga do you prefer?
I started yoga a long time ago, I think it was around 2004. I got a health club subscription (mainly for the sauna!) and found they taught yoga to. For years I was practicing very irregular, but in 2011 I was grabbed by the Bikram Yoga craze and started practicing very regular, around 3 to 4 times a week! When L. and me moved to Morocco we started practicing there with the teachers that were working in the same surf house. This was a mix of all kinds of styles and has made me appreciate all 'kinds' of yoga. Back in the Netherlands I usually now go to Unlimited Health, where a great teacher combines meditation, yoga and activism in a 1,5 hour class. Very inspiring and a true recommendation. When I occasionally go back to Morocco I always practice with my friend Chanti, who teaches at Surf Berbere. 

What boards do you surf?
Believe it or not, most of the time I am surfing on a 7,2" foamy! When the waves are small in the Netherlands, I love the buoyancy of foam, to catch as many waves as possible, and working on my technique. I have even surfed soft boards in almost overhead waves, and personally I think many people should stay on the foamy for at least 2 years, no shame! 
My board I use for more powerful waves in the Netherlands and mellow waves abroad is my MB 6,2" shortboard. It's thick, wide with a nice squash tail that enables nice carves. It has lots of volume so it's easy to catch waves, but not so much I can't duck dive any more. This board has an extra special place in my heart because it was customized by my dear friend Chanti. 
For the powerful point breaks abroad I have my Bufo jetstream 5,11". This board is smaller and thinner, but still quite wide. It has a round tail for quick turns and trims and has worked really well for me in Morocco. 

Do you have sponsors?
Yes, I am lucky enough to be sponsored by Westkustsurf, an awesome brand that provides sustainable cardboard surfboards and 3D printed fins. Also I get spoiled every now and then with some lovely Billabong clothes and bikinis by Sample Sale Club.

And...
I am the owner of the Taghazout, Tamraght, Aourir : buy / sell / share Facebook group, which I started in 2014 when I lived in Morocco. This page has almost 1700 members and is still growing daily. 

If you have any other questions, please comment below!