About Us
Tamarindo Board Co. is based out of Chesapeake, Virginia, in the United States. We wholesale and retail surfboards, paddle boards and related gear/ merchandise out of warehouse, online and through a network of surf shops, reps, and dealers.
Tamarindo is a small surf town located on the Northern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica in the Guanacaste Province and is the inspiration for the brand name. The town was made popular in Bruce Brown’s surf film in 1994, The Endless Summer II; where two surfers travel around the world following the season and surf to amazing destinations (Movie Trailer). Tamarindo became an inspiration and a dream destination to us as young beach bum kids with high ambition and a need for adventure. Years later we made the trip to Tamarindo and found our paradise. Tamarindo Board Co. is our vehicle to keep the journey alive, and share our passion for paddling, surfing, and adventure with others.
Tamarindo Board Co. is all about getting out and exploring Mother Nature; going on adventures to new places and ultimately finding your paradise, whatever or wherever that may be. To us, paradise isn't always a place, but often a feeling. Much of our early inspiration comes from growing up in Virginia Beach, surfing, swimming, paddling, and when the weather was bad, watching movies like The Endless Summer. As kids in the 1980s, we bought old delaminated surfboards, stripped the fiberglass and experimented with shaping and glassing in our garage. We collected golf balls from swimming in a nearby golf course lake and sold them to golfers until we had enough bus money to get down to the beach. In the 1990s-2000's we surfed every day we could, often making long road trips home from college to catch a swell.
​
After Alex finished graduate school and started a career in business consulting, he reignited with his passion for surfing and started doing ding repair and flipping boards out of his garage in 2014. It started as a fun hobby and a way to stay connected to surfing, paddling and the beach. Initially the idea was to sell a few boards and make just enough to take a trip down to Costa Rica. By 2016 Tamarindo Board Co. was formally incorporated as an official business and has grown exponentially year after year.
​
Check out the article in the local news paper, The Virginian Pilot.
We are a small family oriented business with the goal of providing quality surf and paddle board equipment and accessories at affordable prices. Our direct to consumer sales approach and extremely low overhead/marketing keep our operating costs low; which enables us to pass along savings to our customers. Our mission is to get more people into the sports we love by offering some of the best prices out there. We are not here to make a huge profit or even make a living from this business. We are here because we love it, and we love sharing it. The little we do make is just enough to support our own fun and passion. We sell direct from our website and our warehouse as well as through a network of reps, dealers, surf shops and tour/rental companies.
​
Local shops where you can find our boards:
Tamarindo Board Co warehouse
(call or text for appointment 757-550-4057)
​
Why buy from us?
We are a small business, so when you purchase from us you get direct communication, often from Alex, the owner of the company. We will do every reasonable thing we can to ensure you are happy with your Tamarindo gear and provide personal attention should you ever have an issue. We are available via phone, text, chat, email, in person at the shop, and on social media for any general questions or advice. We stand behind our products and offer a 1 year warranty on any equipment and some items have a 3 year warranty. We offer guidance and recommendations to beginners. We provide a variety of boards, many of them in different sizes so that you can get a board that fits your needs. Larger companies offer a one size fits all, or a small & large option so they can keep skew numbers low and maximize their marketing dollars on whatever they are pushing. We spend almost nothing on marketing so we do not have those costs rolled into the cost of our products.
Not all, but many shapers, surf shops and surfers are territorial and have a 'locals only' mentality. We do not! We welcome all out in the water no matter what your experience level is or where you are from. We are all in this together, and we welcome others in the industry that share that mentality, even when they are our direct competition. Some in the industry will talk trash about others in an attempt to gain loyalty or make themselves appear to be above the rest. We avoid this no matter what we may think of how others run their business. We love to support other businesses/competitors however we can, especially the local businesses in the communities we love and grew up in!
Meet the Team
Alex
VB Native who grew up in the water surfing and swimming. He loves to surf with friends, travel, and paddle with his children. Alex handles our Virginia Sales, distribution, product design and company financials. He has over 15 years experience as a business consultant and a MBA from Wake Forest University.
Josh
VB local that has relocated to Central Florida. Josh can often be seen traveling in Caribbean. He loves to surf, sail and play guitar. Josh handles Florida distribution and sales and also helps with design and board construction. He has a business degree from ODU and an extensive background in building and real estate.
Jon
VB local who enjoys all aspects of the water from surfing to to spearfishing. Jon is a seasoned veteran who spent over a decade in the US Army and completed multiple tours in the Middle East. He is a brand ambassador and helps with product test and design. When not in the water, Jon can be found building pools in the Hampton roads area.
Derek
Derek grew up in Virginia Beach playing soccer and surfing. He got his bachelor's degree from Radford University and now lives outside of Raleigh, NC and handles sales and distribution in the area.
Joe
Joe grew up in Florida but spent over 30 years in Virginia Beach. He has extensive background in sales and logistics, international trade, and product development and production. He now resides in Daytona Beach, FL and handles Sales and distribution in the local market.
Devan
Devan grew up on the east coast with a passion for snowboarding. He worked as an instructor and ran a snowboard shop. He served 4 years in the Navy and then settled in Austin, Texas. With no snow or mountains nearby he tried paddle boarding and it's been love ever since. Devan heads up our Texas distribution and other areas sales.
Anna
VB local who was loured down to the endless summers of Florida. Anna grew up swimming and relaxing at the beach. She resides in Boca Raton and handles South Florida Sales. She recently completed her PH.D.
Kim
Kim is a teacher, artist and bartender living in the Outer banks, NC. She grew up in Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA and loves adventures, traveling abroad, gardening and running. She has her BFA from ODU, studied oceanography, art history, education and photography. Kim handles sales in the Outer Banks, NC.
Kolbie
Bryan
"Having one adventure of a lifetime, makes you yearn a Lifetime of Adventures"
- Joe
Born and raised in Virginia. She’s been teaching yoga and SUP since 2014, and currently traveling the East Coast in her van. She started SUP Yoga Virginia a few years back and loves nothing more than networking, growing and expanding the SUP community. Traveling, paddling, and being near the water is what makes her heart happy. She is a roaming East Coast wholesale rep. Looking for boards? Give her a shout! you never know when she’ll be passing through your area.
VB native who grew up surfing and skating and still loves it to this day. He loves to surf and skate with his wife and three boys. He has travelled the world, reaching five of the seven continents. He has a BS and a MAR from Liberty University. He supports operations and sales from our distribution warehouse in Chesapeake, VA.
Interested in joining the team?
We are always looking for help with growth. Send us a message to find out about wholesale opportunities, local sales reps, brand ambassadors, and many other roles! Also check out our Jobs page for other current openings.
Now Accepting applications for Affiliate marketers!
Earn a commission for referring customers! Click here to sign up for affiliate marketing!
Please also send us an email to introduce yourself. Include some information on yourself, where you are located, and your social media account(s).
Email to info@TamarindoBoards.com