Girmantas is often referred as the pioneer and the godfather of Lithuanian surfing, having tried surfing on an old windsurfboard right after Lithuania regained independency from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Since 2008 he's been organizing Surf Camp festival, that was instrumental in building surfing in the country and led to establishing Lithuanian Surfing Association and securing ISA and NOC membership and governmental funding of the sport. He currently runs a surf hostel and surf academy in Klaipėda, Lithuania and keeps on pushing further infrastructure development in the country. When it gets cold, Girmantas spends his winters in Baja, Mexico.

My biggest life change happened when my brother asked the question, if I could be anyone in the top 5 of that skill owners, what would I be? My initial answer was astronaut, but after reading a few books about astronauts' life, I understood that I didn't like it. I thought about what lifestyle I would enjoy living, and at that point, Surfing came into my mind.

I started surfing at age 27 and fell in love with it. Since that moment, my life has been around surfing. After the first season of learning how to surf in Lithuania, I also learned how to be Surf Instructor. This led me to travel around the world, sharing surfing with others and practicing it myself in amazing spots worldwide, from Panama to Spain, Australia to Japan, Indonesia to Sri Lanka, and more. 5 years after, I became Lithuanian Champion, and now I have an opportunity to swim with the best in the world. I am not top 5 in the world, and I doubt it would be possible to achieve this high mastery such late in life, but I am for sure living a surfers lifestyle.

I've been active and in extreme sports since my early days. Skateboarding since I was 10 years old, Snowboarding since 12, so board sports was always with me. After quitting an office job at 23 years, I tried coaching, and that's where I found my current profession - coaching. Step by step, it led to becoming not only a fitness trainer but also LVL 2 ISA Athletic Development Coach. While traveling around the world, I had an opportunity to train with masters of many methods and disciplines. This curiosity about movement and body improvement led me to structure training and develop my own coaching techniques. In 2019 I founded Octomoves - a company that helps people turn exercise into play.

My surfing journey began during a family vacation when I was 15 years old, where I tried bodyboarding in Huntington Beach, California. The waves captured my heart, and upon returning to Lithuania, I embraced the art of longboard surfing. I was surprised that I could engage in this magical sport even in the small expanse of the Baltic Sea.

For the past two years, I have honed my skills riding waves with a shortboard. As I travel, I constantly seek out new surf spots and adventures. I also compete in local surfing events, yet this competition remains a genuine challenge for me.

During the summers, I find fulfillment as a surf instructor in Melnrage, Lithuania, where I share the joy and knowledge of surfing with others. Currently, I am studying Graphic Design, further enriching my creative journey. In addition to my love for surfing, I am also passionate about dancing, skateboarding, and mountain biking. These activities bring me happiness and allow me to explore different dimensions of movement and self-expression.