Wave Tribe's Vision & Story

We are not going to hit you with all that eco 'be the change' phraseology—but if you do want to be the change, then we are down with that.

We know you have options, and if you decide that our product fits into your surf life then we would be stoked and honored. We have spent ten years developing, designing, testing, and perfecting Wave Tribe products. Respect.

Perfecting doesn't mean that we got everything 100% right, but we are getting closer each year thanks to your input.

Here is a quick list of our core values . . .

Wave Tribe is run by a few hard core surfers that spend much of their time in the water.

We also like to travel and surf some awesome places. We always share those experiences with you—our tribe.

We started using hemp back when nobody else was really talking about it. Derek had an eco clothing company before Wave Tribe and got to know hemp really well. When he sold that company he rolled that expertise into making boardbags.

Our hemp boardbags protect your surfboards and are downright awesome. We use hemp because it is ecological, strong, breaths and looks great.

Here is a little something that Derek threw down about Wave Tribe back when it first started:

"Wave Tribe's mission is to create a symbiotic relationship between sport and planet. In our journey we invite like-minded surfers to envision a wave that is clean, clear, plastic free and that mirrors a society of people who recognize the intrinsic beauty of nature and the significance of doing the right thing.

He also wrote a manifesto that still holds strong to this day, you can grab it as a t-shirt if you resonate with the message and feeling like spreading the word.

Not sure if you know this, but nobody made eco surf products before Wave Tribe came along ten years ago. A decade later Wave Tribe continues to push the limits on both ecology and quality—we are also stoked to see other companies jump in the eco surf game.

Wave Tribe Invents New Surf Gear 

Every product we make is designed with the highest possible quality materials like YKK zippers (boardbags), cork (deckpads), and recycled plastic (leashes). All of our products are manufactured with care for the planet in ethical working conditions with longtime partners.

Along the way we invented a bunch of cool eco products for the surf industry including three firsts ever.

Derek's idea was to take the original plastic designs and make material and functional changes.

After the first year in business, Wave Tribe hit a product trifecta:

1. Hemp day and travel boardbags
2. Cork deckpads & traction
3. Recycled leashes

Lot's of people have tried Wave Tribe's products and we have geared surfers up for a decade now. Check the reviews and testimonials for lots of stoke and feedback.

Anyway, back to the story.

Wave Tribe decided that they wanted to use hemp in other products so they started to made surf gear like roof racks, fin wallets, backpacks and a bunch of other fun stuff.

It was fun, but in 2016 Derek said they were doing too much and that they needed to get back to their core products. Yep, that's what they are doing now.

So we going back to the core, focusing on our boardbags and a few other products going forward.

People love our boardbags and when media like ESPN gives you notice you know you got something good going.

Here is what ESPN said about our gear:

The Pioneer Series Day Bag is the third generation bag made by Wave Tribe, and it is plenty strong for shlepping your sled. This is a strong bag any way you look at it. The handles and carry strap are all reinforced. That's good, because once your handles pop, a boardbag is about as useful as Sean Hannity at a climate convention. The zipper is made of serious recycled plastics—no more salty rust-jammed zippers. The bag itself has a dense 5 mm of padding. The bottom is also energy shielded to protect against sun and heat. Essentially, the production of this board bag is better for the land, the durability causes less waste, and its biodegradable nature is good for all of us.

In case you want to hear from thousands of awesome Wave Tribe customers then you can click here and read some of the stoke and more reviews by real surfers.

Surf Travel Blog - Deep Magazine - The Inertia

We wanted to find a way to give our customers something extra other than rad eco surf gear—so we started putting together free resources, travel guides, board shaping manuals and surf travel resources.

A few years back when things were still quiet in the surf eco scene, Derek started writing for a local surf mag in Southern California called Deep. A few other magazines and blogs started to pick up his stories: The Inertia, Ocean, Green Surf, etc. You can see some of the articles on our blog here.

Every two weeks he puts together free travel articles to help you plan your next trip and once a month in our eNews we do a deep dive into an international surf travel location. We know you love to travel like us and we want to share the stoke (#sharethestoke).

Our Airline Boardbag Fee Guide is the go to resource in the surf community for surfboard baggage fees and is a must read for anyone traveling with their surfboards.

Free Beer & Occasional Twerk

Ok, now to the good stuff—come by for a beer and let's talk surf and travel.

If you come to Ojai we will buy you a beer—and a good one like Stone IPA. The local pub in town is called OBC and has 50 beers on tap—how cool is that? 

Derek reminds us that It hasn’t been easy, he almost gave up a few times and the only reason he says he is still here—and Wave Tribe is still here—is because people like you support our journey. 

What do you get with Wave Tribe?

Well, let's review.

1. Rad eco surf gear
2. Awesome surf travel guides
3. Free beer

Even if you decide not to join the tribe please stay stoked and keep surfing and know that there is a cold one waiting for you in Ojai, California.

The founders of Manawasurf (pictured below) arrived in Ojai this year and tested Derek's beer offer.

After he bought a few rounds, Thais snaked him in the water twice. He said about the incident after, "how could I be mad, they are so cute."

~ Derek & The Wave Tribe Crew

 P.S. Read the story of how Wave Tribe started.