EUROSIMA SURF SUMMIT

Arthur discovered freediving during his childhood, when he was already very close to the aquatic element, which he encountered in his hometown of Nice and in Corsica, where he lived as a child. He began his freediving career in 2011 at the age of 26. Since then, he has accumulated 5 world championship titles and 8 world records.

In 2016, he was the first to reach the symbolic 300m mark in dynamic freediving, the absolute world record for the discipline. In 2017, he set his first world record for freediving under ice, with his wetsuit and single fin, at 175m.

In March 2020, Arthur embarks on the project of a double world record attempt in ice freediving breaststroke. In March 2021, he set a new world record in this discipline, with his wetsuit, at 120m. Then, on March 8, in the Morrison quarry in Quebec, he swam 105m, still breaststroke, but this time without a wetsuit, wearing just a swimsuit.

This is an absolute record for the discipline. His performance was widely reported in the French and international media. He is now the most successful Frenchman in the history of apnea.

Backed by his experience and stature, Arthur turns to sharing and seeks to raise public awareness of the beauty and values of his discipline, in demanding, sensitive audio-visual productions, where human adventure combines with sporting achievement.

At the same time, he is a regular speaker on subjects such as self-improvement, stress management, risk-taking and self-confidence. He also offers practical breathing relaxation workshops, particularly for stress management, which are accessible to all and directly derived from his own training methods, enabling him to surpass himself in the practice of his discipline and in his daily life.

In 2017, he released his first book Le Bien-Être Sous l'Eau, followed in 2018 by his first feature film: Aquae Rex.

Maurice Cole was born on March 13, 1954 at Terang Hospital in Victoria, not far from the surf spots he would later frequent. Only that wasn't him (yet).

The boy born that day didn't become Maurice Cole until he was adopted, immediately after his birth, by Frank and Mary Cole, a more rigid Anglican couple living almost 130km northeast of Terang. Maurice's parents would also later adopt a second child, Maree, and never hid the fact that they had adopted both their children. But Maurice wore this label with difficulty. Perhaps that's why he had trouble containing his explosive energy growing up; it's certainly part of the story he tells himself about his own life. He remembers, as a child, sitting in the car, driving past the Ballarat orphanage, a large dark gray building, and being told that if he didn't keep his nose to the grindstone, that's where he'd end up. That's what I am, he thought, an orphan. Something had become detached from the harbor of his heart, and he felt as if he were adrift.

Maurice only saw the ocean for the first time when the family moved south to the coast at Warrnambool in 1960. "In those days, we had to go to mass," he says, "so we had no choice, which became a problem when I started surfing.

Surfing came to him out of the blue, one fine day in the middle of summer 1966, when he found himself at the beach with 5 shillings (the currency at the time) in his pocket. If he'd saved up until February, he could have turned that into 60 cents, a nice sum. But instead, he spent his money on a surfboard rental. A big, white, pigmented thing over 9 feet long. Young Maurice carried the board over a gently sloping sandbank until he was waist-deep in water. Using all the strength of his scrawny little twelve-year-old body, he flipped the board back towards the beach, caught a wave and stood up: "Suddenly, my only goal was to buy a board. I did odd jobs like delivering newspapers. I saved up $36 and bought a used board from a guy named George Saffron in Ocean Grove. It was a 9'3 with a green GT stripe and a single big D-shaped fin. We didn't have bars on the roof of the car or anything, but I had a bike. I'm not sure how, but I managed to get my board to the beach and my passion was challenged by the logistics." To go surfing, Maurice dragged his board to the water, until over time the tail was completely eroded. Then he turned the board upside down and used it the other way around, with the same result. According to him, this was the first pintail he ever made. He repaired it with Plati-Bond, a building adhesive, then joined a nearby volunteer coastal lifeguard club so he could leave the board closer to the beach. But the lifeguards' discipline, training and all, annoyed his rebellious instincts; when he found a scheme to avoid doing his duty, he was suspended from the team by the captain.

"But I had taken the opportunity to look around," he says 50 years later. "There was a little building in the dunes, a little shack of nothing. The Warrnambool Boardriders Club. There were cars, and what cars: a big Valiant V8 with double exhaust and great rims. A custom FJ Holden. MG Sports, Mini Coopers... And when I saw these guys surfing for the first time, well, they really knew how to surf. I went to tell the Captain that he could go to hell. The next day, I was part of the Warrnambool Boardriders.

Mike Stewart (b. 1963), nine-time World Champion, is a bodyboarding legend, a pioneer in the discipline, notably of bigboard towed surfing, and a champion bodysurfer.

A bodyboarder through and through, Stewart is currently not only the most experienced rider on the tour, but also undoubtedly one of the most successful. The only bodyboarder to have competed in the famous annual Banzai Pipeline competition since 1982, he has taken first place a record 11 times, including 9 world titles. Crowned Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic Champion 15 times, he has also been awarded the title of Mister Pipeline for the best wave in all categories, an accolade he is the only "non-standing" surfer to hold.

A trailblazer in the 80s, along with his sidekick Ben Severson, Stewart was one of the first bodyboarders to surf Teahupo'o, a spot that would later become a WSL must-see destination for big-game surfing.

Finally, Stewart is also an accomplished bodysurfer, having won the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic 14 times to date.

Throughout his impressive career, Stewart has always been involved in the design and manufacture of bodyboards, even as a child, being close to the inventor of the modern bodyboard: Tom Morey. Since 1998, Stewart has offered his own line of boards under the Science Bodyboards label.

David Salas y Mélia is a research climatologist at the French National Center for Meteorological Research (CNRM), where he heads the Climate and Air Quality Research Department. The main missions of this structure are to better understand the mechanisms and impacts of climate change, to study air quality, to develop a seasonal climate forecasting system and to regularly produce climate simulations in support of the IPCC reports. David Salas y Mélia's main aim is to better understand and estimate past and future climate trends through the use of models. He is particularly interested in the role and evolution of sea ice in the climate system. As such, he has created and developed a model representing the evolution of Antarctic and Arctic sea ice.

About CNRM :

CNRM is a joint research unit set up by CNRS and Météo-France. Its research activities are mainly carried out at the Toulouse, Grenoble and Lannion sites of Météo-France. The CNRM's research and development activities focus on the predictability of atmospheric phenomena, particularly extreme events, the study of climate and climate change, the water cycle, interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, continents, ice and snow, atmospheric chemistry and urban meteorology, modeling for numerical weather prediction, and the development of measuring instruments.

A fashion designer specializing in lingerie, swimwear and active wear, I have been a consultant & designer in the fashion and textile industry for over 8 years, I became a Cultural Broker when I understood the importance of the systemic approach in sustainable fashion! In 2014, while expatriated in Vietnam, I created the creative consultancy and sustainable sourcing office ENTADA TEXTILE. Research and trends coexist with resource innovations that lead to product and manufacturing solutions. Caring for and guiding designers, existing brands, future DNVBs, manufacturers, the press and trade show organizers is my daily exercise.

I have a particular attraction for research work, from a style & sociological point of view, I develop trend presentations, market intelligence and brand DNA analysis (stylistic, fashion) and the resulting design and sourcing proposals. Pooling these skills, I create editorial content in the form of Masterclasses, articles and conferences for the press, trade shows and schools. Finally, in 2022 I become Bleaders of Bcorp™ because their tools offer a systemic, synthetic and operational vision that appeals to everyone.

Expatriation offered me the unique experience of adapting to new cultures and situations. It enabled me to become more intuitive, dynamic and cooperative, and thus to evolve towards a service and "cultural broker" profile.  

Originally from Newcastle in the UK, Gabe turned pro surfer at the age of seventeen, embarking on a career that would take him around the world, far from the North Sea. He won numerous awards and titles, even representing his country at the World Championships and the XXL Global Big Wave Awards. Far from content to rest on his laurels, Gabe has also forged a solid professional background in audio-visual (film and television) and print media, working with various brands, including Quiksilver. Inspired by the radical marine conservation group Surfers against Sewage, Gabe now focuses on environmental action with the aim of pushing the surf industry towards a more positive future. In his current position as Ocean Marketing Manager EMEA at Patagonia, a company whose sole aim is to "Save our Planet", he can now combine his love of surfing with his passion for the environment. So it's no surprise that today Gabe is leading this transition, seeking the best solutions so that surfers, ocean enthusiasts and the surf industry as a whole can move forward to share a better future together.

Ludovic QUINAULT was Director of Operations for Rip Curl Europe and General Manager of Cube Bikes France.

And Managing Director of Skunkfunk / SKFK. Today he is an operational consultant at HI-EX CONSULTING.

"I prioritize human and environmental values and steer business transformation towards sustainable production, the circular economy and fair trade."

He is also a member of the Board of UNU MONDO, a non-profit organization that organizes expeditions to the Arctic to study and raise awareness of global warming.

About HI-EX Consulting :

Hi-Ex is a consulting agency in Operational Organization and Sustainable Transformation founded in 2009, whose activities are as follows:

• Management in transformation
• Sustainable and ethical management
• Optimizing cash flow
• Sales strategies / supply chain management

Richie has experienced both the brand side and the agency side. Having spent most of his career at the front of the wave, he has now found his niche. The launch of vvast has enabled him to merge his customer experience and brand expertise to offer innovative, low-impact market entry for brands, BUT, linking them to an ever-evolving R&D roadmap based on shared knowledge.

He is passionate about the concept of creative destruction and sees it as a real privilege to have witnessed the inception and impact of the internet on society and brands over time. Richie puts together teams who share a love of the brand, a fervor for surfing, cycling and music, and the motivation to produce work of epic quality.

About VVAST:

VVAST is emerging as the D2C e-commerce expert for brands looking to expand, while ensuring a strong brand position. Boasting an international portfolio of diverse partners, they have worked with VF (Jansport) $13 billion in sales, as well as Stance, YETI ($1.5 billion in sales) and Troy Lee Designs.

Having obtained ISO certification in record time, their business model is based on customers selling in the USA and looking to expand into Europe, but also assisting brands already present in the territory. VVAST understands that D2C means much more than just systems and processes. This is why they have built a model based on collaboration and many years of commercial experience with over 200 brands in the EMEA zone.

I grew up in the UK in the 90s, working in surf and skate shops. After a few years in France as a wakeboard coach, I returned to the UK to join the Extreme Group, which bought and designed clothing for wholesale and ecommerce. Since 2005, I've been with O'Neill Wetsuits, specializing in wetsuit design and compliance in conjunction with the product development team based in Santa Cruz, California.

À About O'Neill:

O'Neill, California's premier surf, snow and lifestyle brand, was founded in 1952 when a

young man named Jack O'Neill took his unstoppable passion for surfing and used it to beat Mother Nature at her own game. By inventing the very first neoprene wetsuit, Jack had found a way to extend his surfing sessions in the often frigid waters of Northern California. Shortly afterwards, he opened the doors of his garage to set up his first surf shop. While much has changed since those humble beginnings, Jack's original vision of producing functional, innovative products continues to inspire and enable enthusiasts to do what they love so much.

I'm currently European Sales Manager at Rip Curl. I've been with Rip Curl for over 20 years, starting in Sales Marketing and the Team/Events team before moving into Sales. I moved from Sales Manager UK & Eire to Sales Manager Northern Europe before taking up my current position.

About Rip Curl, The Ultimate Surfing Company:

The Ultimate Surfing Company Rip Curl is a company that exists for and around the team, the "crew" that leads the quest, "The Search". The products we imagine, the events we organize, the riders we support and the people we reach around the world are all part of the Rip Curl Search. 

Jenny is the real guarantor of the values that drive the company, she IS these values, these virtues... She looks after the Sales Department, to make sure that our values drive every one of our business links.

About Atlantic Hemp :

The company was created in 2016, under the impetus of Vincent LARTIZIEN, a former professional surfer, who after more than 20 years spent playing on the biggest waves of our planet's great Oceans, made the following observation: it's up to each of us to act to improve everything that's going wrong in our world. But to take action, he needed a tool, and hemp was the obvious one, so the mission became clear: Nourish the health of all through Hemp/Cannabis.

The project is vast and the main ambitions are :

• The re-establishment of an organic French hemp farming industry
• Marketing processed products under our own brands in b2b and b2c markets
• The creation of a hemp mill capable of processing all parts of the plant locally
• Total autonomy from seed to end customer

Nin Castle is the co-founder of Reverse Resources, a SaaS platform designed for the fashion industry that maps, links and tracks textile waste from source to recycling, closing the material flow loop. With extensive experience of working with pre-consumer and post-industrial textile waste, Nin manages international programs, collaborating with NGOs, brands, manufacturers as well as waste management and recycling companies across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Finally, Nin heads up the Reverse Resources recycling network, which connects textile waste channels with the best possible recycling solutions.

I grew up surrounded by mountains in Savoie. My parents were both ski instructors, so I inherited this passion for the glide. My first professional job was in Rossignol's snowboard department, where I met Emmanuel Debrueres, current President of Oxbow. I then crossed France, landing on the Landes coast, where I met Emmanuel again at Billabong. I was product manager for the outerwear range for 6 years. It was an incredible time, with the chance to combine work and passion.

In 2014, I decided to embark on a new project on my own: Arcosse, a brand of eco-responsible technical clothing to equip mountain professionals. A three-year adventure, made up of ups and downs, that will have taught me a lot. I then set up Peak2Sea, a product development consultancy, and worked with several outdoor brands. In 2020, Emmanuel contacted me to tell me about his project and vision for Oxbow. I immediately agreed and joined the family. I'm in charge of the 85 and Collector ranges, whose aim is to reconnect with outdoor enthusiasts and the brand's roots. Produced in Europe and France, using recycled, organic and local materials, these two ranges totally echo my values.

About Oxbow:

As individuals and companies, we are all responsible for the planet we live on. It's up to us to help protect the places we live and enjoy, so that we can pass them on to future generations! This is the vision of the French brand Oxbow, its committed ambassadors, its employees and its governance, but also its many consumers who are now demanding change. Consumers who are looking for transparency and meaning in their daily actions and the way they consume.

We can't claim to be exemplary today. The transformation process is long and will take time. It's a mission we've embarked on since acquiring the brand in 2020, and we're proud to see our employees, the people around us and our consumers evolve day by day in this direction. It's a change we're also implementing with our suppliers and collaborators, with whom we work hand in hand and in full confidence.

We can no longer close our eyes and put the emergency off until tomorrow. As users and enthusiasts of natural environments, it is our responsibility to systematically integrate solutions around environmental issues, to propose more thoughtful practices and to fulfill the educational role we have to play.

Live, enjoy, share, have fun, but in a more responsible way, through our adventures and messages, the projects of our ambassadors whom we support and, of course, through the products we create and sell.

"Stay alive" by the way we apprehend and remain alert to the world around us. "Stay alive" by the durability we give to our products. "Stay alive" through the relationship with our employees, which we want to be long-lasting, close and constantly challenged, for a more responsible present and future.

For more information on our CSR actions: https: //www.oxbowshop.com/fr/environnement  

Driven by his passion for surfing and people, Wilco entered our industry at a very young age, in the mid-90s. He started his career as an intern at Rip Curl, then moved on to various management positions including product, marketing and sales, finally becoming President and CEO in 2013, at the age of 36. He was also President of Eurosima from 2016 to 2019.

With Stephan Moretti, he created The Salts Only, which distributes various brands and holds the European license for T&C Surf Designs Hawaii, Rivvia Projects.

The Salts Only - Products for the Ocean

We're here to share the lifestyle we live. The Salts Only is for those who find inspiration and live near or around the ocean. Our primary goal is to bring smiles to the water! Our mission is to offer quality products, in a sustainable way with excellent service, and fully adapted to the surfer's needs.

#createasmileinthewater

Frédéric Tain is a journalist, lecturer and entrepreneur. He is interested in consumer trends and their impact on non-food retailing. He runs sport-guide.com and its magazine dedicated to the business sector. This independent cross-channel medium, a benchmark for retailers and buyers, examines the good and not-so-good practices of companies and looks ahead to future developments in the sector. Every day, a European team of seasoned journalists interviews leading retailers, challengers and project developers. Data on retailers and brands is at the heart of their analyses. Their credo is "useful value" information.

Dave Mailman was born in California. He grew up surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. He studied French at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Bordeaux, then moved to France in 1994. Since then, he has been editor of Onboard European Snowboard Magazine, Marketing Director at Quiksilver Europe, President of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe, writer and presenter of the EpicTV Surf Report, and keynote speaker at the Freeride World Tour and a host of other international surf, skate and snowboard events. He currently works in audio-visual post-production, writing scripts and voice-overs for TV broadcasts of the Freeride World Tour and the FIM EnduroGP World Championship.