By Abbey Cannan
Surfers all around Australia have been ditching their boards built with toxic materials for an eco-friendly brand that has been setting a new standard for surfboard construction.
Eco Evo Surf owner, Thomas Godfrey, 31, says the brand is committed to the sustainable future of surfing.
In 2019 the team behind the brand spent hundreds of hours developing, researching, and testing their boards with World Tour veterans and renowned shapers to build a unique range of products that can enable everyone to surf at the highest level with the smallest impact on the environment.
“Since then, we’ve worked with charities, been under the feet of several professionals, featured on TV and in magazines – all while planting five trees for every board we built, which now equates to a small forest,” Thomas said.
Itching to get back to Noosa, the brand is joining forces as a proud sponsor of an event that shares similar core values, the Noosa Festival of Surfing.
“I had been a spectator at the 2012 event and have followed it ever since,” he said.
“Watching it grow and build the vibe that it has today had me itching to get back. It’s also very hard to pass up visiting Noosa’s beautiful coastline and celebrate the sport in arguably the mecca of traditional surfing in Australia.”
No stranger to the water himself, Thomas grew up on the Gold Coast and spent 11 years as a Navy Clearance Diver, serving seven of those years as a Maritime Counter Terrorism Specialist within the Tactical Assault Group East Unit based at Holsworthy.
“I joined the Navy in November 2009, and in November 2020, I was medically discharged,” he said.
“Post-discharge, I was faced with the challenge of trying to find a new career in civilian life, whilst also trying to fill a massive void that I now had after leaving the job that I loved. I knew that my next chapter had to involve the ocean in some way.
“I’ve spent my whole life in and around the ocean surfing, fishing, diving, boating, and swimming and have had a passion for it since I was young.
“It was only by chance that I came across the then owner of Eco Evo Surf. As I learned more of the brand and the product, I knew instantly that this was the opportunity that I needed to take to fulfil my passion for surfing and my love for the ocean.”
Now living in Bulli on the NSW South Coast, Thomas said feedback on the boards from customers has been fantastic.
“The support that they show us through social media and other platforms has been greatly appreciated,” he said.
“Customer satisfaction means a lot to Eco Evo Surf and we hope that we continue to be successful in providing excellent customer service and a unique quality product.”
The brand has been riding the wave of satisfaction, and will soon be featured on a new Netflix series called Surviving Summer.
“We’re really excited. There is not a lot of information about the show’s release date just yet, but as more details are released, we will keep our followers updated,” Thomas said.
With your purchase of an Eco Evo board, you are not only supporting an Australian-owned business and the environment, but every board purchased plants five trees through their partnership with One-Tree planted.
For more comprehensive information about Eco Evo Surf, visit their website at ecoevosurf.com.au
Subscribe to their mailing list to receive news and any future updates, and find them on Facebook and Instagram at @eco_evo_surf.
