INSPIRED BY OUR PASSION FOR SURFING, YOGA, MUSIC AND COMMUNITY, WE CREATED LOCATIONS WHICH SHARE ALL OF THIS WITH YOU.
From the feeling of freedom during surftrips to our very own concept
We are Dana & Nils from Germany. We've spent a lot of time on the European coastlines with our close friends. Our crew is shaped by a passion for surfing, yoga, music, and community. During our travels, we have always experienced an incredible sense of freedom. This feeling has accompanied us throughout our adventures and discoveries. This exact feeling is what we wanted to share, making it accessible for everyone else. On several surf trips, we not only developed a concept, but also wrote down our philosophy (spirit).
The idea to share our lifestyle
We wanted to create a place where a community of like-minded people could meet. So we have developed a Surf & Yoga concept with which we aim to inspire our guests to dive even deeper into the world of surfing & yoga. Every guest should be able to take something home with them at the end. The focus is on quality surf & yoga sessions. In addition, we define our experience through a sense of belonging and an infectious sense of adventure or spiritual development.
Magical places due to special people
We have met many interesting people on our travels. Some contacts just magically fell at our feet. On the other hand, surfing allows you to quickly meet a lot of like-minded people. We are very communicative and with an idea up our sleeves, opportunities quickly emerged. When the region also offers smooth waves, a breathtaking landscape, and magical vibes, you know that you have found a place of the heart, where everything just falls into place.
At all of these locations, we have then created places where we are able to offer you very personal, qualitative, and limited Surf & Yoga retreats. (Johnny and Ainsley Ocean were already the pioneers in Indonesia, whose surfing and yoga adventures we want to share with you now).
Sustainable concept strengthens local community
The Surf Spirit approach is also based on using the strengths of the local communities in conjunction with our concept. Most of the income then stays within the respective community. This opened up many doors for us and we are proud to integrate a sustainable concept for both parts of the Surf & Yoga world.
Our project started off in Sri Lanka. With the idea up our sleeves, but without expectations, we arrived right in the Unawatuna jungle. We first wanted to get a feel for Sri Lanka. Travel and surf the country. At first, we booked an exotic accommodation through a booking portal. The sensational surfing conditions in the region and the warm water surrounded by tropical palm trees immediately fascinated us. The culture and food in Sri Lanka are unique, too. We basically immediately fell in love with this exotic country. We were also overwhelmed by the villa that we have booked. A vast jungle area with beautiful rooms and endless opportunities to relax. However, we made a small mistake in the booking process. We rented the entire villa. Of course, just one room would have been sufficient, but this is how we got into a conversation with the owner Dulip. After seeing our surfboards, he told us about his dream of a surf & yoga camp. We could hardly believe it. That has been the beginning of a trusting cooperation between Dulip and us up to this day.
A few years later, his tranquil accommodation developed into one of the most popular Surf & Yoga Retreats in Sri Lanka. We value each other very highly, benefit from each other, and have become good friends, as well. We are proud that our concept has offered him, his family, and his employees an opportunity that was not considered possible before that date. This success motivated us to open up more locations.
Just a few TukTuk minutes away, at our home surf spot in Bonavista Bay, we came across an opportunity to open up a beach lodge. In this tropical bay, smooth waves are coming in, providing outstanding learning conditions. Every experienced surf coach will confirm that we have one of the best beginners / intermediate waves right on our doorstep. Now, our guests can choose between an exclusive jungle retreat or a relaxed beach lodge.
Andalusia is a project of the heart for us. Freddy & Maja (part of the Surf Spirit Crew) fell in love with the hippie place "Los Caños de Meca". Even before we started our numerous surf trips to the warmest place in Europe, those two have already discovered this relaxed place. The mixture of old hippies, the surfers, and the Andalusian ambiance make that place very special.
When we traveled through Caños on one of our trips in 2015, we had the idea for the first time to share our adventures full of surfing, yoga, and long nights filled with music and laughter. Whoever we took with us on our travels, it always sparked enthusiasm. That was especially true in Caños. We visited the place again and again and established a connection to the place and the open-minded people.
6 years later we are incredibly happy to celebrate the real origin of Surf Spirit with the opening of our Surf & Yoga Retreat in our Spanish Casa there. Andalusia is a step back to the roots. Because this is where everything started. Our villa is very lovingly, individually, and creatively designed. Maja & Freddy fully bring their artistic skills into the design and overall presentation. Anyone who visits us here knows who we are.
A remote, tropical island surrounded by the best waves in the world in the Mentawais is probably the biggest dream of any surfer. We heard about this unique island from our friend and surf photographer Jason (Gold Coast, Australia). It really is an absolute insider tip and after a few surf trips to this island, we are proud to offer you one of the greatest surf adventures in the world. Johnny & Ainsley Ocean have been living and operating the Surf & Yoga Retreat for over 10 years. They probably embody surfing adventures like very few people worldwide. To accommodate guests, Johnny built the entire Surf & Yoga Retreat by hand with washed up driftwood. In addition to the incredible island itself, the quality of the waves is outstanding. It can hardly be more exclusive and unique. This surf trip has the absolute potential to become the classic “trip of a lifetime”.
Team & Future
Surf Spirit enables us today to live with our friends in a flexible and remote way thanks to the different locations. We now have a small Surf Spirit team in the background for the entire organization. We are proud to say that our team still consists of our close friends with whom it all started on our adventures.
We will continue to search for the best locations in the world.
We discovered all of our previous locations through our travels. We can guarantee that every single destination is handpicked and has a place in our hearts. Only the very special places become a surf spirit retreat.
Welcome to our Journey. Welcome to Surf Spirit!
Dana is one of the co-founders of Surf Spirit. Her experience in general management originates from running parts of her family business in the entertainment industry. To delight and inspire people is therefor her given desire. Her passion for yoga and health is part of the Surf Spirit concept.
Nils is one of the co-founders of Surf Spirit. With his experience in marketing and sales as well as his passion for surfing and surf coaching, it was a matter of time he puts both worlds together. He loves to develop the business to create outstanding experiences for our guests.
Maja is the creative head of Surf Spirit. Being in one of the retreats she flashes the guests with her live music, art, photography or contagious smile. If you send us a message on Instagram you will most likely be in contact with Maja as that is her creative playground at Surf Spirit. Also you will most likely see her in Spain as she and Freddy are not just our best friends but also business partners for our retreat in Andalusia.
Freddy has always been part of the original idea of Surf Spirit. He is a big visionary and a fantastic craftsmen at the same time. Roadspirit is our partner project managed by Freddy, who developed old vans into new luxury homes on wheels. He and Maja have an open house, making it possible for friends to come over at any time and to live the spirit. You may find some people making music, art or having a coffee at the same time. With Freddy we developed the initial idea of Surf Spirit while driving through his happy place Caños de la Meca in Andalusia. Thats also where you will find him most of the time with his girl Maja.
Lennart is responsible for most of our videos. Wherever we need to shoot some new content, he will be there. Next to his video skills he is an outstanding musician. Known under his pseudonym “Lennart Limebird” he performs not just in our living room once a year but also in our camps or elsewhere. Make sure to check him out on Spotify @Lennart Limebird.
Aaron is our creative video director. Coming from Mallorca Aaron shot for big commercials, series and even movie films already. He is a well known director in the scene and we were lucky enough to meet him randomly in Australia. We have rarely met someone as passionate for what one does as Aaron. When given a story, an idea he gets so excited that he forgets time and space and keeps on shooting until everything is 100% perfect. Shooting with Aaron is always an adventure and we love it! Thats why we produce our commercials with him no matter where we go.
Bob Sala is our master photographer at Surf Spirit. He shot the very first photos for us and helped us to create our own handwriting and style. Therefor the main shootings will be done by him. He is a big talent not just in photography but also in writing and podcasting. Make sure you check out his Instagram and Spotify account @bobsala
Benni is our very good friend and he takes care of printing our T-Shirts and bags in Germany. It is very important to us that all materials are fair trade and ecologically sustainable. In Bennis little factory “Die Herdmanns” in Paderborn every piece will be screen printed with hand. Also we are making sure that the working conditions are suiting Benni and his colleagues, therefor we deliver ice cold beer on a regular basis.
Jason is not only an outstanding surf photographer but also became one of our best friends during our time in Byron Bay, Australia. He made it possible to combine his two big passions: surfing and photography. Being Australian he likes to ride the big stuff. Thats why you will meet him most of the time on the private island in the Menatwais where he introduced us to its owners Ashley & Johnny Ocean. This encounter allows us to show you one of the greatest surf adventures in the world.
We got to know "Tropo Joe" in Australia although we grew up only 80km apart in Germany. By the acute treatment of his feet on the reefs of Indonesia during a surf trip he has earned the name "Tropo Joe". As an experienced surfer he supports our team as an all-round talent in all areas.