If you surf or just enjoy our oceans and beaches as they are then you understand the need to protect our playground. There are constant threats to the ocean, including plastic pollution, poor water quality, beach erosion, and even lack of access. Across the globe, volunteers take time to clean our beaches, replant dunes, and petition for cleaner water. In places like Costa Rica, where tourism development is heavily dependent on the health of these areas, the balance is delicate. It also makes the Central American country a great place to study the effects of tourism on the ocean ecosystem.
From August 13th-19th, 2018, ocean and beach activists are invited to attend the inaugural Surf Conservation Retreat in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The is designed to bring people together and discuss ways to protect these natural places for future travelers, working with local volunteers who share their challenges in the area.
The organizer of the event is Greg Gordon, who has been an active member of the Surfrider Foundation for 19 years and led the Sebastian Inlet Florida chapter for two of them. He helped start the Tamarindo Surfrider chapter in 2001 and has volunteered in San Diego, San Francisco, and Virginia Beach. His travel business, CR Surf Travel Company, has been a 1 % For the Planet member since 2011, donating funds to the Costa Rican non-profit PRETOMA, which protects sharks and sea turtles.
For each participant that signs up, $100 will go to the Surfrider Tamarindo chapter. That group helps keep the local beaches clean and raises money for the local lifeguarding program. They also create education campaigns to reduce plastic use and improve water quality. It’s a chance for numerous people to visit Costa Rica and contribute knowledge and experience to the future conservation efforts of one of the world’s most popular surfing destinations.
Visit 2018 Costa Rica Surf Conservation Retreat to learn more.
