Salty Zen - Our Story
One day, while surfing at a beach break in Carpinteria, California, my son's best friend, said to my son, "Look at your dad with his hands folded underneath his arms, he looks like a sensei in his Ocean Dojo."
I was in my space, focused, and in my place of peace. And when I heard what Ed said, I felt this is how many others feel when sitting in their sacred place. The ocean, our Ocean Dojo; a natural temple, and a place of Salty Zen. That place where we sense the connection between ourselves and the infinite power of an ocean wave and that sense of promise that comes from the ocean’s energy; A place we water folks call home.
“Where does the wave come from and where will it go?” a student asked Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. “The wave comes from water and will return to water. The wave is always water. Coming and going are just mental constructions. Birth and death, coming and going are just concepts,” he answered.
“In Zen the wave never ends, it just transforms. Could that be why we feel so drawn to the ocean? The fact is that our planet is two-thirds salt water, and so is the human brain. Could we physiologically reset our brain to the harmony of the ocean’s vibration just by dipping our head in the sea?” - Andrea Gaytan
I see Salty Zen as an outward expression of that inner connection all watermen and women feel when they engage with the ocean. Our brand defines that connection in a way that no other brand has. And we will become a part of the new wave of spiritualism in the ocean experience that hasn’t been seen for a very long time.
The name isn’t just a logo just as the logo isn’t just a logo. Salty Zen is reminiscent of the buddhist yin/yang symbol; one of balance and connection. If there was ever a time to connect or reconnect, it’s now.
Professional surfers like Jack Robinson of Australia, Griffin Colapinto of California, and Sally Fitzgibbons (another Australian), are diving deep into the joy of surfing on and off of the world tour. In addition, young women like Caitlin Simmers, Tyler Wright and Carissa Moore are now speaking in spiritual terms in their approach to ocean when interviewed. Many can be seen in deep meditaion before heats and using terms like, “I’m just going to stay in the moment,” “It’s just one wave at a time,” and “I’ll just see where the ocean takes me.”
The current generation and the up and coming generation look up to these folks, they want to be like them, surf like them, and carry themselves in the dignified way that their heroes do. Salty Zen is a way forward as the world begins once again to search for connection, purity, and a tribe of salty brothers and sisters.
And that's where Salty Zen Clothing came from.
A shared experience, A deeper connection, and a life that begins again and again in and of the moment.
That tube ride?
that vertical off-the-lip?
that round house cutback that made you feel like your surfboard was magic.
These are Zen moments
Being so much in that moment that you could die in the next moment and know that you’ve lived.