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Nimble blond regularfoot surfer originally from Redondo Beach, California; winner of the 1966 Laguna Swimwear Masters contest; finalist in the 1966 World Surfing Championships; winner of the 1969 Australian National Titles.

Lagardere was born (1947) in DeLand, Florida, raised in Redondo, and began surfing at age 13. Three years later she won the Santa Monica Mid-Winter Championships; not long after, she was given a slot on the prestigious Dewey Weber Surfboards surf team.

Lagardere was a 19-year-old junior college student when she beat two-time world champion Joyce Hoffman in the 1966 Laguna Masters contest, which was televised on ABC's 

. Hoffman at that time was considered all but invincible. But Lagardere, on this day, was a clear winner. "Joyce Hoffman did not lose the contest," the Redondo Reflex noted in a Page One article the following day. "She was beaten. There is a difference, and Joyce knows it." That summer, Lagardere traveled with the Weber team to the Eastern Seaboard for a series of surfing demonstrations.

Lagardere finished runner-up to Hoffman in the 1966 United States Surfing Association's final ratings and placed 5th in that year's SURFER Poll Awards. She also took 5th in the 1966 World Surfing Championships, in San Diego.

In 1968, just as the shortboard revolution was launched, Lagardere moved to Queensland, Australia, and for the second time in her life became an unexpected champion. "A new star in the women's surfing world emerged in Josette Lagardere," Midget Farrelly wrote in his 

 coverage of the 1969 Australian Titles. "She rode superbly to outclass the more established riders to take the women's title." Lagardere also won that year's Queensland state title; two years later she made the finals of the 1971 National Titles, placing 5th.

Lagardere maintains dual American-Australian citizenship but lives in Queensland.

In 2020, Lagardere was inducted to the Hermosa Beach Surfing Walk of Fame.

Lagardere, Josette

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