Since the beginning of the year, Pauline Ado has joined Surfrider Foundation Europe as an ambassador. A passionate surfer since childhood, Ado has decided to take action to protect her favorite playground, the ocean.

Pauline Ado started surfing at the age of eight, fixated on the sensations of gliding and speed that surfing provided. As her passion progressed into a lifestyle, she became acutely aware of the issues facing the oceans and dutifully involved herself with Surfrider. “My first memories with Surfrider are during the beach waste collections,” Ado recalls, “Surf clubs often involve their members, and I remember doing it with my mine. Afterwards we went to workshops on recycling and the lifespan of waste. I was introduced to these problems at a young age but took them very seriously.”

Now at age 26, Ado is a professional surfer using her influence to bring awareness to issues threatening marine environments and promoting ocean conservation. Ado travels the globe earning titles and surfing the world’s most beautiful waves, from Mexico to Indonesia, but her favorite spots remain in her home of the Basque Country. In 2006, Ado claimed the Junior World Champion title in Brazil.

Growing up Pauline Ado remembers being strongly influenced by the actions of other professional surfers and sees this as her time to continue the cycle, “If I, as a professional surfer, can use my position to sensitize even one person [to ocean issues], then that’s already a victory. It’s my way of contributing to the change.”

For Ado, surfing is more than the physical action of riding a wave; it’s the ephemeral side – the unending quest for the perfect wave – that drives her. It’s this deep connection with the ocean and her desire to protect it that has motivated Ado to join the Surfrider Ambassador team, “I have realized over the years that my well-being hinges on contact with the ocean and I want to protect it and continue to enjoy it to the fullest.”