My name is Matt Evans, I often go by Matte ("Matty"), or Splatty by my family and close friends. I’m a humanitarian, lifeguard, water rescue specialist, lover of the sea, and in-water photographer.

I spend the vast majority of my time in and around the water. Chasing swell while capturing the beauty of it and how we as humans make the most of it.

To explain my immeasurable love for the liquid gold, I have to explain how the condition known as Autism influences me. Autism affects my social relationships, communication, senses and the way I interact with the world. It presents a vast array of strengths and weaknesses and so, like many people, being active around the water is the way I fuel the strengths and wash side-effects associated with the weaknesses away. It all began with swimming lessons as a little kid and then around the age of 11, I took a massive leap towards sailing. This quickly evolved into paddleboarding, open water swimming, surfing, freediving, canyon/coasteering, and in-water photography - all of which I still do.

I mix my everlasting passion for water with my humanitarian values in an active mission to help people. Both as a lifeguard, Water & Flood Rescue Technician, and a Humanitarian Rescue Volunteer with the charity Serve On. I also assist with safety & rescue for Tommo’s Dream Foundation (TDF) Freeride, the UK freeride jetski team. These riders push the limits on what can be done with a small machine in the surf. 

TDF Freeride was started in 2018 to help Freeriders to promote their sport and travel to Europe, and the rest of the world. The charity is named after the founder’s son, Tommo, who was a Freeride jet skier and Motocross rider who tragically lost his life in a Motocross accident. TDF now helps others to pick up where he left off, enabling them to achieve their dreams in Freeride and Motocross. Since I first met this bunch of gravity defying legends, I have been inspired by how talented they are, pushing the boundaries of what a person and machine are capable of. With any water sport or extreme sport, comes risk and danger. Therefore my role within the team is to look after their safety in and around the water, spotting hazards, enabling and coordinating a rescue, simply lending a hand or being the duty cheerleader. 

I first came across Blue Soup when I was looking to buy an inflation vest to better suit my personal floatation needs. As a small, innovative company, Blue Soup caught my eye. In my opinion, supporting small businesses has always been important - especially since the onset of the COVID pandemic. That being said, I gave Mark a ring to ask about his products and after an extensive discussion, he offered to help and we decided to team up. 

Myself and TDF are incredibly thankful for the support from Blue Soup and we are stoked for the opportunities ahead.

 

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