This ISD is all about getting after it, and doing something small to protect the places we love. Photo: Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash
Tomorrow (Saturday, June 16th) marks International Surfing Day. You may or may not have been aware. See, at some point in human history people became obsessed with national and international “holidays.” Some legitimate – like International Human Rights Day on December 10th. Some less so – like National Pancake Day on February 27th. International Surfing Day falls somewhere in between. For one, there’s no exchanging of cards or gifts. Not to mention any avid surfer might be quick to point out that if the objective of ISD is to get out in the water, well, every day is International Surfing Day.
But, since its establishment in 2005 by the now-defunct Surfing Magazine and the Surfrider Foundation, ISD has been about more than simply getting in the water. It’s a day devoted to honoring the sport of surfing namely through beach cleanups, education initiatives, and, yes, it is also probably one of the most crowded days of the year to go surfing.
This year, the Surfrider Foundation has christened the theme of ISD “Protect and Enjoy.”
“Every day, the Surfrider Foundation and our volunteer activist network work to protect our coasts,” reads Surfrider’s website. “On International Surfing Day, we pause to celebrate and enjoy the beaches and waves that we all love. This year, while we band together to share the stoke of surfing, we also aim to raise awareness of urgent threats to our precious coastline, like new offshore oil drilling.”
There are numerous Surfrider-sanctioned events to get involved in tomorrow (see their website here for more info), but even a small act like picking up a piece of trash or two on your way out to the water will earn you some good karma.
As Surfrider explains: “Head to the beach, take someone surfing for the first time, participate in a beach cleanup and make your voice heard.”
