Now imagine it gone. Don’t let that happen. Photo: Christor Lukasiewicz
As beachgoers and surf enthusiasts around the world gear up for the ten-year anniversary of International Surfing Day, we ask you to take a minute to think about your special coastal place. Whether that’s your local lake, river, ocean or other body of water or beach, take a minute and reflect.
Think about all the memories you have there. Maybe it’s where you first stood up on a surfboard, where you and your parents surfed when you were a kid, or perhaps where you got married. Now, imagine it gone. No longer accessible, polluted, dredged or wiped out because of poor development.
Over the course of the last 30 years, the Surfrider Foundation has been doing extensive work to protect special coastal places — surf spots and waves — around the world. It has consistently addressed water pollution, coastal erosion and hazardous problems while helping local governments make better decisions.
Some of our biggest wave-protection victories include Trestles (Calif.), Ruggles (Rhode Island),Ma’alaea and Honolua Bay (Hawaii) and Tres Palmas (Puerto Rico). Right now, we are in a heated legal battle to regain public access to Martin’s Beach, a pristine surf spot located about 20 minutes south of San Francisco, California.
One very clear lesson Surfrider has learned over time is that if no one stands up to protect something, it will be taken away. Surfrider is in it for the long haul. Are you?
This International Surfing Day, we are reminding people about the importance of preserving the world’s coastal environments no matter where they live. On June 20, grab your board, get out, enjoy and honor your special coastal place by participating in a local Surfrider event. Many of Surfrider’s chapters host a beach cleanup or an environmental project followed by a group paddle-out, surf contest, yoga session, surf film or concert. To find an event, simply visit isd.surfrider.org.
Not near a beach or Surfrider Chapter? No worries! There are a variety of ways you can celebrate and give back, such as picking up trash, becoming a Surfrider Foundation member and entering the @Surfrider “My Special Place” Instagram Contest.
Join us in celebrating ten years of stoke on June 20. Our oceans, waves and beaches thank you.
