Marcelo Castellanos | Holistic Surf Trainer, Founder of Puro Surf
From El Salvador
What is your role?
I’m in charge of implementing the Puro Surf coaching program in the Salty Dogs’s Surf Training + Mindset camp for men in El Salvador. It’s a program I’ve designed over the years to fit the needs of each individual with the goal of making people learn or improve their level of surfing in a fun and technical and way. I’ll be your on-land coach, training the functional and mindset.
What’s your background and how did you acquire those skills?
I come from a family of surfers and teachers, and I’ve been surfing since I was 5 years old. I’ve dedicated my life to surfing; I started competing nationally and internationally early on, and for all my teenager years, and then started to learn more about coaching. I’ve acquired different certifications in sports psychology and coaching, I’m an international course presenter for the ISA, and also the also founder of the company Puro Surf Hotel and Performance Academy. I’m constantly learning, researching and practicing: I’m the coach of El Salvador’s surf team, as well as other international athletes.
Ninja super skill people don’t know you possess?
I don’t do things the way people expect to, or how it’s ‘supposed’ to be done in this country. And yet, I always make it happen. I don’t even know how I do it… Haha!
Favorite place in the world?
Puro Surf in El Salvador because it’s my home, and we have perfect waves –rights, left, barrels– almost every day. Here, I have access to all the things I love the most; surfing, yoga, skate, jiu-jitsu, swimming, good food, and all my best friends — even my roommates from university work here! With the Academy, I get to be around lot of cool people from all over the world; the best surfers and the best bjj pro athletes come here to have fun, train or share their knowledge with me. Basically, I feel blessed that at Puro and I can combine work, fun, life and learning at the same time.
What gets you the most excited in life?
Learning and feeling that I’m improving, as well as teaching others and seeing their improvement! Ah, and surfing epic waves of course!
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Quitting my pro surfing career for 3 years to go to university in a place with no waves… it turned out to be a good thing, because for my final thesis, I wrote the plan for what would become Puro Surf. And then I made it happen! I’m now living the dream with no regrets.. That’s crazy!