After years at sea, navigating oceans aboard massive ships, Antoine left Belgium behind and dropped anchor in Portugal in 2016. What followed wasn’t just a career shift. It was a full course correction: from shipping containers to surfboards, from global trade routes to the slower rhythm of the West Coast.

That’s how Ondanova was born. Not a brand, but a practice, a philosophy against the fast, plastic-forward surf industry.

They build each board by hand using Paulownia wood: light, resilient, and rot-resistant, grown in Europe and (soon) on their own land in Portugal. The technique is clever: a hollow structure with ribs and a spine, wrapped in thin wood panels, laminated just enough to survive the swell. Most of what you’re surfing on is simply air. It’s what Antoine calls the sweet spot between science and poetry.

Ondanova is built on a simple truth: if you love the ocean, maybe don’t float on foam. Every board made is a small rebellion against petroleum-based surf culture. The goal isn’t perfection, but progress (a bit of resin is still necessary).

Every build is a chance to use less, waste less, and care more. Cheers to doing things with patience, precision, and a bit of reverence for the sea.