When we talk about the defining surf brand of the modern soft board movement, the one that really started it all…. there is only Catch Surf. The pioneers, one could say, have been at it for quite some time now, starting long before soft top companies started multiplying by the dozen.
From their beginnings back in 2007, Catch Surf have become the go-to soft boards for many. They’ve always stood against the mainstream surf industry and have been so popular by basically doing the opposite of everyone else and playing by their own rules. Founder George Arzente says that he started the company for average surfers who just wanted to ride a surfboard that worked in normal conditions, for people that weren’t trying to be the next Kelly Slater and just wanted to have a good time at the beach.
Add a very heavy dose of 80’s music, bright fluro everything, ridiculous advertising and absolutely crazy footage of Catch Surf soft boards being pushed to absurd limits at the likes of Pipeline, Jaws, and pounding shorebreaks. The result has been a movement much bigger than anyone ever expected. Jamie O’Brien – the ‘Godfather’ of the soft board – has played a pivotal role in the rise of Catch Surf and it’s footage of him surfing the world’s most insane waves that have helped catapult the company into something so special.
Here is an excellent video produced by Stab for their Culture Shifters series about the rise of Catch Surf – enjoy!
Check out our review of the Catch Surf soft board range HERE!
