AUSTIN GRIPPO

Austin Grippo got into watersports at the tender age of 16 when his father took him to Tamarindo, Costa Rica. It was there in Central America, where he met legendary wingnuts and surfed some of the most epic breaks known to locals. From then on, Austin traveled the world, always on the lookout for swell, secret spots and breaks he knew from surf movies and magazines.

Duing a job in New York he was exposed to stand-up padling when some of his friends took him out on the HUdson River to try out something new. Instantly hooked, Austin tackled the SUP NYC race just two months after his first paddle, enjoyed a brief stint on prone Boards and then joined the NSP race team in 2012.

After successfully racing 5 years at the elite level all over the US, Austin took on the longest challenge of his paddling career in 2017 when he prepared for a 60+ Mile Crossing from Bimini, Bahamas to Florida. This brought him a whole new perspective of what’s possible in the water and seeing how paddling could make a big difference in the world.

Today, Austing lives on the North Shore of Maui and spends most of his time over the water, exploring the limits on NSP SUP-  Surf, wing and foil boards. He surfs Ho’okipa on the less windy days and loves to take visitors with him for some downwind runs.