About

Cathy Surgeoner Deibler was born in Northern Ireland. She graduated from the University of Ulster with a bachelor’s degree in Fine and Applied Arts. After working freelance in corporate production, Art departments for TV and Film in Ireland and cafe jobs in between, Cathy set off around the world to discover the beauty of New Zealand’s North and South Islands. There she fell in love with the ocean lifestyle, learned to sail in the Bay of Islands, and bought a longboard surfboard ready for more adventures. She worked and traveled through NZ for two years, favoring The bay of Islands, The Endless Summer beach town of Raglan, and the winter wonderland of Queenstown. On returning back to Belfast, she worked on various projects including BBC productions. In 2008, itchy feet brought Cathy to Tokyo, Japan where she would work and travel throughout Asia. Surfing and snowboarding on the coasts and mountains of Honshu and Hokkaido, her love of nature led her to start drawing again. In 2011, a life changing event in experiencing the Great Tohoku earthquake, fast tracked her budding relationship with Naval Officer Charlie. Her family now lives in Coronado, southern California where she has been freelancing again in the events production industry.