

From: York, ME
Lives: Santa Cruz, CA
Profession/Day Job: CEO/Founder – Atira Systems Inc.
Other: Ambassador – 1% for the Planet , Ambassador – Save the Waves Coalition
Jeff Denholm
Jeff is as tough as they come. Born and raised on the southern coast of Maine, he lost his dominant arm in an accident on an Alaskan fishing trawler. With self-designed prosthetics, his connection to the ocean has only grown – he surfs, dives, bodysurfs and competes in long-distance paddleboard races. “The ocean is my escape,” he says. “Under, on, in or other.”
HIGHLIGHTS
- Catching his first wave at Mavericks last year
- Finishing the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard Race in under 7 hours
- Catching his first wave after his injury
- Not drowning while surfing 20+ foot Nelscott reef – alone
- Founding Atira Systems to change fire fighting and the impact on the environment