AMBASSADORS

[{"id":390046908553,"title":"Gary Linden","created_at":"2020-05-21T03:41:13-07:00","body_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResides: Oceanside, California\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the godfathers of modern big wave surfing, Gary Linden is still tackling behemoths around the world in his late 60s. Linden—a former President of the Association of Surfing Professionals—founded the Big Wave World Tour in 2009 in order to showcase the world’s best big wave riders competing at the world’s best big wave spots. This eventually became the World Surf League Big Wave Tour that Gary helped lead until early 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLinden is a highly respected, renowned shaper with 50-plus years of experience. In the 1980s, Linden Surfboards was recognized as the number three surfboard manufacturer in the world. More recently, Linden’s knowledge of heavy water helped him become one of the top tow-in board and big wave gun shapers anywhere. His work creating beautiful, sustainable surfboards from upcycled agave wood was also a pioneering feat in the early days of seeking greener board-building materials—a unique process that was even featured in mainstream media. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“I created the surfboard to bring awareness to the lack of sustainability in action sports and to demonstrate that it’s possible to use natural materials and a nontoxic process to create products that are better for the shaper, the rider and the environment,” he told \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTravel + Leisure \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emagazine in 2015.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.lindensurfboards.com\/\" style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003ewww.lindensurfboards.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lindensurfboards\/\" style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e@lindensurfboards\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/files\/Screen_Shot_2020-05-27_at_3.41.21_PM_1024x1024.png?v=1590620023\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/files\/Screen_Shot_2020-06-02_at_5.59.50_PM_1024x1024.png?v=1591207442\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":60832743561,"author":"Nancy Opitz","user_id":51184763017,"published_at":"2020-05-21T03:43:00-07:00","updated_at":"2020-08-19T12:43:29-07:00","summary_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of the godfathers of modern big wave surfing, Gary Linden is still tackling behemoths around the world in his late 60s.\u003c\/span\u003e","template_suffix":null,"handle":"gary-linden","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2020-06-03T11:06:17-07:00","alt":"","width":1600,"height":900,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/articles\/m0516_nb_linden_a-fb6503f0-728b-4a55-a782-7b0fd745c899-1.jpg?v=1591207577"}},{"id":390046941321,"title":"JOAO DE MACEDO","created_at":"2020-05-21T03:41:47-07:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResides: Nazaré, Portugual\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eJoão De Macedo is one of the world’s best big wave chargers and all-around tube hound. At age 7, his love for the ocean began with bodyboarding the powerful shorebreak of Praia Grande in Sintra, ultimately laying the foundation for Macedo to become one of Portugal’s most recognized big wave surfers. His solid paddle performances at Maverick’s and other formidable peaks eventually earned Macedo an invite onto the World Surf League Big Wave Tour—becoming the first European professional surfer ever to qualify—culminating in a Top 5 finish during the 2012–13 season. Nowadays, Macedo calls the monstrous waves of Nazaré his home break, where he can often be seen streaking across its 60-foot walls each winter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAside from surfing, Macedo’s passion for sharing and protecting the ocean’s wonders is undeniable. In 2000, he achieved his college undergrad degree in Economics followed by a master’s degree in Sports Management, which led to founding Surf Academia schools at Praia Grande and Carcavelos with close friends. He’s also served as a program manager for Save The Waves and was a co-founder of the World Surfing Reserves organization—where he still stands as a global ambassador for its WSR Vision Council. “Surfing big and heavy waves, and teaching people how to surf,” he says, “is one of the best ways to stimulate and nurture people’s consciousness of the beauty and power of the natural world. From there, environmentalism and sustainability stems naturally.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.joaodemacedoproject.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #38761d;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003ewww.joãodemacedoproject.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/joaodemacedo7\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #38761d;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e@joãodemacedo7\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/files\/Screen_Shot_2020-05-22_at_11.49.15_AM_2048x2048.png?v=1590173453\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/files\/Screen_Shot_2020-05-22_at_11.48.52_AM_2048x2048.png?v=1590174299\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","blog_id":60832743561,"author":"Nancy Opitz","user_id":51184763017,"published_at":"2020-05-21T03:41:00-07:00","updated_at":"2020-08-23T16:08:06-07:00","summary_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoão De Macedo is one of the world’s best big wave chargers and all-around tube hound. At age 7, his love for the ocean began with bodyboarding the powerful shorebreak of Praia Grande in Sintra, ultimately laying the foundation for Macedo to become one of Portugal’s most recognized big wave surfers.\u003c\/span\u003e","template_suffix":null,"handle":"joao-de-macedo","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2020-06-11T13:06:34-07:00","alt":"","width":1073,"height":736,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/articles\/Joao_portrait.crop.jpg?v=1591905994"}},{"id":390046843017,"title":"Terry Simms","created_at":"2020-05-21T03:40:18-07:00","body_html":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResides: Ojai, California\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTerry Simms was born and raised in San Diego, CA, and started riding waves at age five. He served four years in the US Coast Guard and is a former professional surfer. The ocean water safety and life-saving knowledge gained during his Coast Guard days are still deeply embedded in Simms’ current surf coaching practices—enabling him to successfully guide students in extreme wave conditions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSimms’ first experience sharing the joy of riding waves with others happened in the early 90s, when he organized an event for physically challenged surfers in Santa Cruz, CA. This groundbreaking event helped spawn the Shared Adventures non-profit, which was one of the earliest sparks in the global surf therapy movement. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAfter retiring from competition in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ethe mid-90s,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e Simms became a teacher at California’s first surf camp, San Onofre Surf Camp—founded by the legendary Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz. Simms worked as Head Beach Master of the camp, where Doc mentored him in Paskowitz’s one-of-a-kind surf philosophy and the lessons passed down by Duke Kahanamoku—the Father of Modern Surfing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn 1998, encouraged by enthusiastic friends and driven with an innate passion for passing on surf stoke, Simms launched Simba’s Surfaris, which eventually expanded into Terry Simms Surf\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e—an elite surf guiding, instructional and luxury travel company. Many clients have been with Terry for 20+ years, and their children are now some of his most promising students.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"www.terrysimmssurf.com\" style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003ewww.terrysimmssurf.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/terrysimmssurf\/?hl=en\" style=\"color: #38761d;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e@terrysimmssurf.com\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/files\/372A3092.terry_2048x2048.jpg?v=1594757784\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/files\/Surfers_Journal.edit_grande.jpg?v=1594754302\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":60832743561,"author":"Nancy Opitz","user_id":51184763017,"published_at":"2020-05-21T03:40:00-07:00","updated_at":"2020-08-19T12:49:16-07:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":null,"handle":"simbaterry","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2020-06-19T15:25:47-07:00","alt":"","width":1200,"height":800,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/articles\/IMG_6734.simmsportrait.jpg?v=1592605547"}},{"id":390046875785,"title":"Danny Cortazzo","created_at":"2020-05-21T03:40:47-07:00","body_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDanny Cortazzo grew up on the beach at Malibu and has dedicated his life to ocean safety. It was on a trip to Australia in his early 20s when Cortazzo first discovered surf helmets. Immediately recognizing the value of head protection, he became one of the first surfers in North America to wear a surf helmet and has worn one for over 30 years. Danny achieved his master’s degree in Marine Sciences and subsequently focused on lifesaving services—working as a fire captain\/paramedic and beach lifeguard\/junior lifeguard instructor for decades.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCortazzo also founded one of the first adaptive surf programs—Ride A Wave—and is responsible for taking thousands of individuals with special needs surfing, free of charge. Danny is highly respected in the Santa Cruz community as a lifesaver, waterman, National Lifeguard Champion and competitive tandem surfing winner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/category\/Nonprofit-Organization\/Ride-A-Wave-155974087790409\/\" style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRide A Wave\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e","blog_id":60832743561,"author":"Adon Newman","user_id":null,"published_at":"2020-01-31T03:40:00-08:00","updated_at":"2020-08-26T13:48:51-07:00","summary_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDanny Cortazzo grew up on the beach at Malibu and has dedicated his life to ocean safety. It was on a trip to Australia in his early 20s when Cortazzo first discovered surf helmets\u003c\/span\u003e","template_suffix":null,"handle":"cortazzo","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2020-07-01T14:21:28-07:00","alt":"","width":1504,"height":892,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0326\/8388\/4681\/articles\/Screen_Shot_2020-07-01_at_2.21.13_PM.png?v=1593638488"}}]