Former CEO, Surfrider Foundation
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Sunset Surfer Silhouette

I believe being a surfer is more than just someone who rides waves; a surfer is also someone who protects waves. Photo: Quincy Dein


The Inertia

I’m a surfer so I believe our coastlines should be accessible. If we can’t get to the beaches, we can’t paddle out from them. Beaches are our open spaces that don’t belong to anyone. They belong to all of us.

I believe the water should be clean so I shouldn’t worry about getting an ear infection when I paddle out. High school surf teams shouldn’t have to get Hepatitis shots to be on their surf teams.

I believe being a surfer is more than just someone who rides waves; a surfer is also someone who protects waves. We’ve seen some of the best waves in the world lost essentially due to apathy or lack of organization. We have ourselves to blame for those lost waves… no one else. If we don’t organize and engage to fight for what we love future generations will rightly blame us for the losses.

I’m a surfer in 2012 and I expect to be able to see Dane Reynold’s otherworldly moves at Emma Wood on video in something approaching real time. I also expect to be able to see and learn from what surfers and activists are doing all over the world to protect places like Emma Wood. Video and other tools help us share stoke and not reinvent the wheel. If someone has a better way to protect a beach, we should all know about it.

When I’m in the water and a candy wrapper floats by I believe it’s my responsibility to stick it in my wetsuit. That’s just common sense. Rather than wondering how the heck my lineup is turning into a dump, I should do something about it. I will never accept that it’s ok to have trash in the lineup.

I surf because I love the water, I love waves. I’m not Kelly Slater and never will be. That’s not the point. I’m just stoked to be in the water gliding down the face of a wave. How insanely lucky are we to have that option in our day? I don’t take it for granted because very few people on the planet will ever know how that feels. We are blessed, we are lucky, we are fortunate.

I believe that to whom much has been given, much is expected.

I’m a surfer so I protect what I love.

What about you? Whether it’s with Surfrider or another organization, there are a myriad of ways to engage and protect what we love. The time for doing that is right this second.

 
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