Astral announced it had signed pro surfer Garrett McNamara as a strategic advisor to the brand. McNamara will provide product testing, assist in product development and advise in marketing to saltwater users, including surfers, as the brand expands into that market.
“Garrett came into my focus when I lived, and surfed almost daily, in Indonesia from 2010/13,” said Astral Founder & CEO Philip Curry. “I realized that in the world of surfing, it was the big wave crowd that felt most similar to the family of whitewater athletes from where I came, and Astral was built.”
Surfer Garrett McNamara joins Astral as Brand Advisor
McNamara is an international big wave surfer known for pioneering the world’s biggest wave in Nazaré, Portugal. He is an eight-time Guinness World Record holder for the largest wave surfed. He has pushed the limits of surfing by riding waves created by calving glaciers in Alaska, and he is the only non-Portuguese person to receive the Vasco de Gama Medal of Honor from the Portuguese Navy for his contributions to Portugal. McNamara also pursues environmental activism through youth workshops to be more conscious of their impact and challenges brands to develop and implement eco-friendly solutions.
“From my first call with Garrett, it was clear that we are on the same wavelength and headed the same way,” added Curry. “We are here to protect water and facilitate people’s deep connection with nature through the best gear. I am sure that working with Garrett, we are going to craft some really unique and necessary solutions for the saltwater community.”
“I want to work with brands I can grow with and become family,” said McNamara. “Astral has a passion and a connection with water. They are all about nature—being in nature and making as little of an environmental impact as possible. We have the same values of sustainability, spreading positive and inspiring messages and making a difference,” he said.
Photo courtesy Astral
