In 2018, while volunteering as English teachers in a small Balinese village, we came face to face with the harsh reality of plastic pollution. With no recycling infrastructure or knowledge, communities were left to cope with growing piles of waste.

Each week, we organized beach clean-ups with local children — small steps that sparked awareness, but we knew it wasn’t enough. That’s when the thought struck us: what if this plastic waste could be turned into something meaningful?

Two yeras later, we learned something that changed everything: you can create fabric out of recycled ocean waste.

That discovery, combined with our love for surfing, travel, and our shared dream of entrepreneurship, lit a fire in us. We realized we had an opportunity to connect protection for people with protection for the planet.

As surfers, we knew the risks of reef breaks and heavy wipeouts. Traditional helmets felt bulky and awkward in the water. We dreamed of a solution that kept surfers safe while also giving new life to ocean plastics.

The answer?

The world’s first surf hat with an integrated helmet — made in Bali, from Bali, for the world.

From the very beginning, SmileReef has been community-driven. We work with local Balinese makers and donate 1% of every purchase to reef conservation projects on the island that started it all.

For us, SmileReef is more than a product. It’s a way to keep surfers safe, reduce ocean plastics, and protect the reefs that inspire us every single day.