Malibu will be the first World Surfing Reserve

Legendary California surf break the first in global network of World Surfing Reserves

July 22, 2010 - Save The Waves Coalition, in partnership with National Surfing Reserves Australia and the International Surfing Association, is proud to announce the forthcoming dedication of iconic Malibu Surfrider Beach as the first World Surfing Reserve.

The enshrinement ceremony for the Malibu World Surfing Reserve will be held at Surfrider Beach on October 9th. There will be a paddle-out celebration, daytime media event, and evening fundraiser to celebrate this special occasion. The October 9th event will also mark the commencement of a stewardship and preservation plan for Malibu aimed at building general awareness around the importance of protecting the world’s greatest, most cherished surf spots.

Malibu is California’s definitive pointbreak and one of the world’s first ‘perfect waves’. Following World War II, Malibu helped established directions in technology, surfing style, and the image of the sport that are still followed today. It remains a transcendent name: included in more than 75 surfing films, representative of a Southern California lifestyle, and represented by name on any number of products and businesses.

A Local Stewardship Council, made up of community members intimately familiar with and dedicated to surfing at Malibu, will be responsible for implementing the stewardship plan to protect Malibu’s environmental, cultural, social and economic benefits. Confirmed members of this Council include local surfing legends Allen Sarlo, Andy Lyon, and Steven Lippman, as well as community members Bill Parr and Michael Blum. Honorable Mayor of Malibu Jefferson Wagner, also known as Zuma Jay, has also voiced his enthusiastic support of the initiative. More stewards will be announced soon.

“The WSR program, inspired by UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, helps the surfing community to identify and preserve surfing heritage through their important surf breaks. Malibu makes any short list of the world’s most famous beaches, and remains a reference point for much of what we think of as style in or out of the water,” stated Michael Blum, President of the Malibu Surfing Association and a member of the Malibu World Surfing Reserve Local Stewardship Council.

Ross Mirkarimi, a California Coastal Commissioner, political leader and early advocate for World Surfing Reserves, announced: “Earlier this year, California took a leadership role to protect iconic surf spots through the California Coastal Commission’s adoption of an important resolution supporting World Surfing Reserves. I am delighted to see this program move forward as it will benefit not only surfers but also the greater coastal community.”

This designation of Malibu is the first in a series of World Surfing Reserves planned for the iconic surfing coastlines of Australia, Hawaii and numerous other areas worldwide. World Surfing Reserves are nominated through a selection process and currently there are dozens of proposed WSRs covering nearly every continent on the planet.

World Surfing Reserves are produced through a partnership of Save The Waves, National Surfing Reserves Australia, the International Surfing Association (ISA) and Stanford University’s Center for Responsible Travel (CREST). For more information, please visit: worldsurfingreserves.org.

Image credit: Steve de Brun

World Surfing Reserves serves as a global model for preserving wave breaks and their surrounding areas by recognizing the positive environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits of waves.

As surfers, lovers and protectors of nature, we are very happy with this goal achieved.

Mark Tripple's "The Underwater Project“ by Jeremy White

"I've always been intrigued by what happens below the surface, like what's happening where we can't see." While watching the slide-show on Mark's laptop I'm amazed at the detail of this 'other world' that's portrayed with his selection.

As an accomplished documentary photographer, in the past Mark has used the ocean as an escape for some solace away from his projects. Lately, while between projects he's been "hanging out" below the surface trying to capture what happens while swimming on a slow summer's day.

"Coming from a surfing background I used to wonder what happens when we're duck-diving, like, what it looks like from a different angle than what we can see. Kinda hard to explain but it has always been on my mind. I used to surf with a small video camera and housing attached to my helmet, (pauses) it worked surprisingly well but my neck couldn't take the impact and stress while trying to duck-dive and capture the right angle. Even tried to turn it back on myself to see what happens clearer but that, uh, sucked (laughs). I looked for a new approach to capture what I was seeking, which basically meant getting off the surfboard."

Surfing is a notoriously frustrating sport, where a number of elements have to be present for a good surf session. From the correct wind strength and direction, the correct tide for the reef or sandbar, or the correct swell direction for the location, all depending on swell being present on the day it's enough to make the most dedicated surfer take up tennis or cricket; something less elemental dependent. "So many times back home we've been driving through the bush for 2 hours only to find that the surrounding sand has covered the reef making it break wide or just weird...even if the 3 main elements are there, (wind, swell, tide) there's always a chance for something unexpected to ruin the trip."

As the Australian summer hits and Mark is city bound for the next few months with film commitments, he has been finding the angles he's always been looking for, even through the lack of quality waves.

"Last week near my house there was a pretty big swell...well, for Coogee anyway, and at the start of the school holidays there were kids everywhere being smashed in the shore-break. I was shooting for about 30 minutes when I was walking backwards as a wave started breaking to shoot the swimmers diving under when my legs were taken out beneath me sending me over the falls backwards."

Mark goes on to describe how he was pinned underwater by his weight belt, which was "no problem but the impact of the wave ripped the waterhousing out of my hand and snapped the leash leaving my housing and camera tumbling somewhere amongst the whitewater and swimmers. Managed to find it two waves later after a pretty frantic search, so stoked it didn't leak."

He's just returned from a week away in the South Australian desert, going to some remote places with a good friend who was willing to help capture the different angles Mark's been looking for, but hasn't had anyone to link up with. "Working with Mike pretty much achieved what I had been looking for around the beaches in Sydney; to add another element to the frame other than just surfers, lining it up when both the camera and swimmer are behind the wave added that extra point of interest."

Mark agrees that it's quickly turned from "something fun when there's no waves" into a product that's gaining recognition and respect from sources, worldwide, if the last few months are anything to go by we're sure to be seeing a lot more in the near future.

+ info: The Underwater Project

California Bans Plastic Bags

I just received and email informing that California will ban plastic bags. I'm proud of this government for being the first state in the United States to take the initiative environmentally friendly.

More information www.good.is

Stay tuned!

Acabei de receber um email informando que as sacolas plásticas serão proibidas no estado da California. Fico feliz e orgulhoso desse governo ser o primeiro nos Estados Unidos a tomar essa iniciativa amiga do meio ambiente.

Mais informações em www.good.is (em inglês).

Fiquem ligados!

Rafael

"Acting on what the Los Angeles Times describes as "a flurry of new bills," California lawmakers have voted to ban single-use plastic bags at supermarket checkout stands. (Retailers will still offer paper bags, but those will cost a nickle each.) We've come a long way since San Francisco became the first city in the country to ban the bags—whose ghastly environmental impact far outweighs their utility—in 2007.

For a state that uses 19 billion of those bags a year, this is big news. For Californian shoppers, it looks like there's finally incentive to stop leaving your reusable bags at home.

Oh, and there are even rumors of a United Nations led global ban down the road."

Photo: A close-up of some of the 60,000 plastic bags used in the United States every five seconds, from Chris Jordan's series, "Running the Numbers".

SURFING TO HEAL

The blog will not only contain information about the project, will also give you some tips of other movies, exactly what I'll write about today, an terrific documentary about surfing to heal many kids' lives.

Somewhere Near Tapachula, surfing to heal.

Mision Mexico Refuge

In November 2000, Alan and Pamela Skuse left their home on the Sunshine Coast of Australia, to volunteer at an orphanage in Tapachula for twelve months. The organisation they were assisting closed down after six months, leaving the Skuses with a life changing decision. To return to Australia, or take on the overwhelming challenge of caring for the remaining 7 children full time.

The thought of leaving the kids, who would go back to the streets, and lives of abuse, was not an option. So despite the lack of resources and support, Pam and Alan decided to take on the huge responsibility of establishing their own refuge.

'Albergue, Mision Mexico, dando Amor, Vida y Esperanza' (Refuge, Mission Mexico, giving Love, Life and Hope) was formed, with the dream of creating a family environment, rather than an institution.

The Kids

Nine years later, Mision Mexico has grown to over 50 children, and helped over two hundred from various circumstances of need.

These kids carry inconceivable stories of being orphaned, abandoned, abused, involved in gangs, drug addiction and living in poverty.

With the love and support of Pam & Alan, the volunteers and their new “brothers and sisters”, these kids have been granted a second chance at life. The kid’s thank God for the new position they are in and their new positive outlook on life. They are encouraged to dream big and believe that nothing is impossible!

Education

Schooling is one of the highest priorities for the kids of Mision Mexico. They are all enrolled in good schools, some even in private schools funded through sponsorship. Some children have not been to school before arriving at the refuge and being enrolled by Pam and Alan.

As you can imagine, coordinating 50 children to all get ready and arrive on time to school is a battle of monstrous proportions.

Education is deemed of such high importance at the refuge to encourage the children to look towards the possible future of university and a successful career. An opportunity most of the children would not have had before coming to Mision Mexico.

Surfing

Even with education stressed as such a high importance at Mision Mexico, most of the older children say their dream career choice is to become a professional surfer.

Surfing was introduced by a volunteer back in 2004 when a surfboard was brought to the refuge. A few of the kids were taught surfing on their Sunday excursions to the beach, then the board was left with the refuge when the volunteer left. The kids were hooked.

Pam and Alan have a background in surfing and Surf Life Saving from when they lived on the Sunshine Coast. Bringing their own children though the junior life savers program ‘Nippers’, they have passed on basic water safety and life saving principles to the children of Mision Mexico. As the collection of surfboards grew with more volunteers bringing more surfboards, so grew the stoke of the kids for surfing.

Tapachula is on the Pacific Coast only 30 miles from the Guatemala border, and is a tropical palm lined coast, with warm water and not another surfer in sight. In the 9 years that Pam, Alan and the children have been coming to the beach, they have only ever seen 1 other group of surfers – a car of Americans travelling through. The Mision Mexico family are truly the pioneers of this stretch of coastline.

Some time ago, Mision Mexico won a surfing grant to improve their surf program. As all their surfboards were broken or damaged they decided to buy more, approaching Global Surf industries and explaining their situation. They were hoping for a discount, instead they received a donation that changed these kids lives. 15 brand new NSP epoxy surf boards of varying shapes and sizes were given to Mision Mexico. This was an amazing blessing to the refuge and the grant money was then used to build a surf repair and storage building nicknamed the ‘Surf Shack’.

The older, more experienced kids get to surf very early on Saturday mornings, usually waking at 5am to make the most of the early offshore winds.

Then every Sunday, the entire 50 kids - plus sometimes 8 volunteers - will cram into two 15 seater vans to drive the 30 boiling hot minutes to the beach.

In 5 years, the children’s surfing has improved dramatically, and the more experienced kids are regularly seen charging some solid waves, getting barreled and mastering cut-backs. The surf in this region is consistently good and there are many different breaks to choose from.

SOMEWHERE NEAR TAPACHULA from stefan hunt on Vimeo.

+info: www.somewhereneartapachula.com

WELCOME

Hey, buddies!
If you're here, you've probably heard about the project. We are surf lovers. That’s the reason we went to Hawaii for the last 2 seasons with some friends from Brazil and California.

Talking about surf and environmental preservation we had an idea and created the Sustainable Surf Project, that aims to show the surf lifestyle and the involvement of surfers and other people in environmental conservation in a documentary, which began in December, 2009.

We chose Hawaii because it’s world reference in surfing, it’s a magical place where there is respect between people and harmonious relationship between people and nature. Because there all this began, because Hawaii is the first remembered place when we talk about surfing, is the reference of the media, although nowadays there are thousands of other natural paradise for surfing.

Being a reference, with a very large market in this segment, there are also many programs that encourage the preservation of beaches, native vegetation, non-pollution.


Well, let's talk about the project itself.

Our main goal is to produce a documentary about sustainable surfing. Sustainability is a current topic in the world. In few words, sustainability is to supply our needs without making our actions affect the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

The documentary aims to raise awareness, especially surfers. But also other people, the idea of awareness for the preservation of the environment must be widespread worldwide.

We want to educate and show solutions or simple actions that can make a difference now, especially in the future.

We want to show that surfing as sport brings benefits, the contact with nature, the peace we have when we are at sea and to show that we are grateful for nature give us that.

Action and information with a simple and direct language.
This is only a brief presentention, more info will come as soon as possible.

Conscious surfer, surfs beyond waves.
Stay tuned!