Sea Shepherd Launches New Skateboard Line with Sector 9

The Eternal MiniSea Shepherd Conservation Society, the world’s leading marine wildlife conservation nonprofit, has teamed up with popular board sports lifestyle brand Sector 9, a subsidiary of Billabong International, to rollout a line of three marine wildlife-themed skateboards for U.S. and international markets. This partnership underscores Sea Shepherd’s appeal within the environmentally aware surf, skate and snowboarding communities and is amongst the first of what the organization hopes will be more cooperative ventures with major brands.

Currently for sale in Sea Shepherd’s U.S. estore, the skateboards will soon be available internationally including on Sea Shepherd’s UK, Europe, and Australian estores. A percentage of every sale will go towards defending ocean wildlife worldwide thanks to Sector 9’s commitment to the environment and Sea Shepherd’s mission.

In addition to being durable and eco-ethical, Sector 9’s Sea Shepherd skateboards are distinctive works of art. The three designs comprising the line are:

The “Jolly Roger Street Skate:” Inspired by Sea Shepherd’s fierce commitment to halt illegal whaling in Antarctic waters, this board features Sea Shepherd’s custom Jolly Roger logo created by Dutch artist Geert-Jan Vons and co-designed with Sea Shepherd Founder and President Captain Paul Watson. The Jolly Roger logo represents the good pirates (Sea Shepherd) who pursue the bad pirates (drift netters, whalers, sealers, poachers, etc). The logo's intricate design includes a shepherd's staff, which signifies the way Sea Shepherd guards and protects our oceans, and Neptune's trident, which symbolizes the organization’s interventionist approach. The skull denotes the death that humans inflict on the creatures of the sea. It is further detailed with a dolphin and whale "yin yang" symbol to represent the natural balance of the oceans when free from human interference. A great board for skate parks, street skating, and technical tricks, the deck only retails for only $55.

The “Eternal Mini:” This skateboard design features custom artwork created by world acclaimed designer and artist Dave Kinsey. Kinsey’s painting, “Eternal,” was inspired by a photograph of Captain Paul Watson taken by Sea Shepherd helicopter Pilot Chris Aultman. The painting questions the morality of whaling in the 21st century and drives home that extinction is forever. This is a signature Kinsey board, an honor the artist granted in support of Sea Shepherd’s marine conservation mission. A great board for beginners, it retails for $130 (complete board).

The “Sea No Evil Pintail:” This skateboard features custom artwork created by Monster Media for one of Sea Shepherd’s biggest annual events, the Sea No Evil Art Show in Riverside, California, benefiting the organization’s various initiatives to preserve and protect the oceans of the world. The artwork features a majestic humpback whale in shades of blue accented with white and encircled by a neon streak of light on a black background. A solid entry level board for the rider just getting into longer skateboards, it will still glide through the quality turns a more experienced rider would put it through. The board retails for $165 (complete board).

In keeping with its corporate mission, Sector 9 has taken numerous steps to manufacture skateboards as eco-ethically as possible. Among the many socially responsible steps taken, the company uses sustainably harvested woods or bamboo, fabricates skate wheels that are 50 percent soy urethane, and manufactures 80 percent of its products in the U.S.A.

The new line of Sector 9 Sea Shepherd skateboards builds upon Sea Shepherd’s existing alliances with other eco-friendly lifestyle brands such as Chaser LA, which designs fashion-forward apparel for the conservation organization, as well as GSI, manufacturer of an exclusive surfboard for Sea Shepherd.

The See No Evil Pintail

The Jolly Roger Deck