Can Eco-Boards Survive The World's Heaviest Waves?

Miguel says, "I’ve always heard people say eco-boards can’t handle heavy waves — that they’re not high performance or strong enough for big surf. So I decided to test that myself. From Nazaré to Jaws, I took my new eco-quiver made from recycled foam and bio-based resin to see if they could perform at the highest level."

Throughout the film, it's clear to see that the boards answer to his every call at each location, from "small Nazaré", to the North Shore, a strike mission to Pe'ahi (Jaws) Maui, and finally to Morocco. "These boards were built by Polen Surfboards using Polyola blanks and bio-epoxy resin — certified Gold Level ECOBOARDS. I wanted to see if they could handle everything from giant slabs to long right-hand pointbreaks."

Beyond testing new equipment and scoring waves that most of us can only mind-surf, Miguel's narrative examines and questions some themes rarely (if ever) visited in surf films.

When in Hawaii, he notes how, "Hawaii is portrayed as a paradise and a prime tourist destination", but how that isn't the reality for everyone. "Mass tourism undervalues Hawaiian culture and life can be rough for locals. Limited land availability, high-demand, and skyrocketing property prices have forced many to live on the streets. Hawaiians experience the highest poverty rate with nearly 2 out of 10 natives living in poverty. But, despite all the struggles, Hawaiian culture is still celebrated on land and in the ocean."

In Morocco, after sending it halfway around the world to catch an epic SW swell at one of the world's best (and most fickle) right points, proving, yet again, that the eco-boards have power and drive, he shares that he's been suffering from an ear infection for a month from water pollution. "Confined to the silence of my own thoughts, I wondered what the ocean was trying to tell me... How long are we going to take to change?"

"After two months on the road, exhaustion was real. Nazaré, Hawaii, Morocco, proving that eco-boards work. They're more than a choice, they're a way forward."