Ocean Stories

33: How to start a surf brand with Manon Erné and SunDaze Surf

Ocean Stories

Show Notes

Building a surf brand from the ground up is no easy feat, especially when you’re navigating the complex world of sustainable business. In episode 33 of Ocean Stories, we chat with Manon Erné, founder of SunDaze Surf, about how she’s started a surf brand. From finding the right production house to making decisions about the brand’s identity, Manon shares about balancing creativity, sustainability, and practicality. We explore the challenges of marketing, building a community online, and how to find sustainable compromises in the manufacturing world. It’s all about staying true to your vision while being mindful of your environmental impact. Manon’s experience is full of valuable lessons.

🌊 Check out SunDaze Surf and connect with Manon: @sundaze_surf

📹 Scripp's Pier underwater live cam: https://coollab.ucsd.edu/pierviz/

Let me know your thoughts on this episode or what you’d love to hear more of next 🌞

More from Ocean Stories

May 6, 2025

What if the best conditioner you’ve ever used also happened to be plastic free? In this episode, we talk with Kate and Jonathan Assaraf, the minds behind Dip– “an environmental awareness company parading around as a damn good personal care company.”

Apr 29, 2025

There’s a crisis unfolding at the U.S.-Mexico border that’s polluting beaches, harming marine life, and putting communities at risk…and it’s been happening for decades. In this episode, we chat with Patrick McDonough, an attorney from San Diego Coastkeeper, to break down the transboundary pollution crisis in Tijuana and Imperial Beach.

Apr 8, 2025

What happens when you follow your curiosity, trust the signs, and take the leap into something bigger than yourself? In this episode, I sit down with Brooke Buckman, the founder of a streetwear brand that doesn’t just look good…it does good, actively fighting ocean plastic with every purchase. Planet Deep Blue aims to be more than just clothing, from pulling plastic pollution out of the ocean to raising awareness about sustainability in the fashion industry.

Mar 27, 2025

Fast fashion is fueling ocean pollution. Are we even talking about that? Every time we wash synthetic fabrics tiny microplastic fibers shed into our waterways, harming marine life and ending up in our food. Add in the constant cycle of overconsumption, and it’s clear: the fashion industry is wreaking havoc on the planet. Why is fast fashion so hard to resist? What can we actually do about it?

Mar 18, 2025

Welcome back! I wish it was under better circumstances. If you feel super in the dark on what’s going on with NOAA and the federal government, this is a very basic overview that I hope sheds some light. What is NOAA, and what does it actually even do? How are the layoffs at the National Park Service & NOAA potentially going to impact our daily lives? What does he mean, “drill baby drill”!?!? These are the topics we’re talking about today. Let me know what you think and what I missed.

See all episodes →