4 minute read
We’re proud to announce that we have renewed our relationship with big wave surfer Andrew Cotton as a brand ambassador for 2019. Cotty has been involved with dryrobe since the early days and we’re stoked to be working closely with him again for another year.
Now one of the world’s most respected big wave surfers, Cotty grew up surfing the cold waters of the North Devon coast (a stone's throw from dryrobe HQ) and dreamed about riding bigger waves in warmer climes. His passion soon saw him travel all around the world in search of increasingly epic waves to surf, eventually giving up his career as a plumber to become a professional surfer.
Photo Courtesy of Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
Having pioneered big wave surf spots in Ireland, Cotty turned his attention to Nazaré in Portugal, now regarded as one of the world’s prime big wave spots. He was a part of the first group of surfers to attempt to ride the biggest waves ever surfed there and in 2010 he towed Garrett McNamara into what was confirmed as the biggest wave ever surfed by Guinness World Records.
In November 2017 he suffered a major set back after getting wiped out by a monster wave at Nazaré, which launched him 20 feet in the air before slamming him down and breaking his l2 vertebrae. This was never going to stop Cotty though. After working hard on his recovery he was back in the water in six months and returned to Nazaré the following Autumn to take on the huge swell.
Photo Courtesy of Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
Unfortunately, fate struck Andrew’s comeback. Just a week after picking up the 2018 WSL Big Wave Awards Wipeout of the Year award for his back-breaking wipeout in Nazaré, he tore his ACL in competing at the Punta Galea Challenge in Spain, cutting short a promising big wave season and meaning another six months on the sidelines.
Despite this latest setback, Cotty is cheerful and optimistic about the year ahead. He’s currently working hard on his rehabilitation and aims to be back charging the waves in Nazaré in time for the 2019 big wave season and has some great projects lined up for the rest of the year. In the meantime you can keep up to date with what Andrew’s up to by checking out his excellent ‘Bounce Back’ vlog series, watch the latest episode below:
Speaking about the announcement, Andrew said:
So stoked to re-sign with dryrobe, it’s been a tough couple years with two major injuries and I’m so thankful for their continued support. Just really looking forward to next big wave season now and in the meantime getting stuck into my training and rehab.
dryrobe first started supporting me way, way back when basically it was just Gideon working out the garden shed. I can’t believe how far dryrobe has come and how many amazing athletes and projects they now support.
Gideon Bright, Founder and Director of dryrobe added:
We’re really proud to renew our partnership with Cotty, we’ve worked together for a good few years now and it’s a pleasure to continue supporting such an inspiring local talent. We wish him all the best with his recovery and we can’t wait to see him out there charging those big waves again!
Keep an eye out for some exciting collaborations with Cotty coming up this year.
Follow Cotty:
Facebook: Andrew Cotton
Instagram: @andrew_cotty
Twitter: @andrew_cotton
YouTube: Andrew Cotton Surfer
Website: http://www.andrewcotton.co.uk
#dryrobeterritory
Published on April 16, 2019