"I believe connecting with nature is an essential part of learning how to take better care of nature and ourselves."

"Through surfing, the connection with the forces of nature connects me with myself, holding a mirror and showing me what's up at that given moment. It also makes me feel connected to a life force and energy that's way beyond what I can control."

“My dad was a paraglider so a lot of time was spent in the outdoors and I was always running around and climbing up trees, boulders, anything really and these are my fondest memories of my childhood.”

"There’s just so much beauty in nature if you let yourself see it. I tend to need to be in a constant state of movement or activity, but I’ve been trying to remember to pause and embrace the moment. I think the outdoors is where I can most effectively practice that because it’s the easiest place for me to tap into a sense of calm. I think nature facilitates a place where people can revert back to childhood innocence and exploration." 

“It was hard at first being gay in the water. There was a good amount of homophobic comments but with time I’ve been in the water everyday, not backing down, and improving my surf and no one can really say anything now. There is still the occasional visitor, or group of visitors, that makes comments or has a really outdated macho bro view of surf, but I can honestly say I have the support here of the Saladita community, wonderful friends, and I know also the support of the LGBTQ community”