Willie the Wave: we all know him as our lovable mascot decked out in sunglasses flip flops and a Hawaiian T-shirt. He’s helped cheer our teams to victory and give our school its unique coastal touch. Now it’s our turn to help him because believe it or not he’s endangered.
The wave is a treasured commodity to surfing communities around the globe. Madeira an island off of Portugal’s coast was one such community known to surfers worldwide for its “perfect wave.” However when the local government built a large marina in the village of Lugar de Baixo in 2001 the backwash from the huge constructed seawall along the shoreline severely damaged the quality of the waves in the area.
In response to the destruction of this iconic surf spot Will Henry a witness to the Madeira surf crisis formed Save the Waves Coalition a non-profit organization to combat needless coastal destruction around the world and to preserve the wave and the surf communities that thrive off of the local surfing industry.
To advance their efforts in preserving surf spots around the globe Save the Waves Coalition launched the World Surfing Reserves initiative in 2009 as a way to protect and defend the “perfect wave” from pollution as well as promote cultural and socio-economic benefits for the surf communities.
According to Josh Berry the environmental director for Save the Waves Coalition 120 waves around the world were nominated to become the world’s first World Surfing Reserve. Experts in “surfonomics” (which measures specific value of a surf spot and what it brings to the local community) then decided from the list which “wave” is the most in need which turned out to be Surfrider Beach in Malibu.
“Malibu already has an iconic status with an incredible history of 75- plus years of being the focal point of the surf culture. It’s a beautiful environment in need of saving. The water quality is a huge issue here. A lot of people get sick from surfing in the ocean Berry said.
Student surfers familiar with the quality of Surfrider Beach also support the World Surfing Reserve initiative.
I definitely know people who have gotten sick. The water gets really polluted from the Malibu Creek runoff after the first rains of the season Evan Mattiason, a Pepperdine student and local surfer said. The project is a great start to the general conservation of our ocean.”
Tyler Hunter (pictured right) a senior at Pepperdine and an avid surfer has assessed the positive and negatives of beach conservation efforts through personal research.
“Although I do not think surfing is far from the end-all be-all importance in life Surfrider is a prime example of one [wave] we can reasonably save. A few years ago there was a massive multi-million dollar campaign called “Save Trestles” in San Diego where environmental and surfing groups lobbied against the construction of a freeway… I did not support this campaign because after extensive research it was found that nobody was sure if the wave would be damaged by a freeway crossing over a creek that flowed into the ocean. However they stopped the construction of the much-needed freeway Hunter wrote in an email.
Although I am far from your typical tree hugging seal saving extravagantly liberal environmentalist I am all for the World Surfing Reserve in Malibu. It’s so tight that without interfering with anyone’s liberties we can preserve one on the sickest waves in California!” Hunter wrote.
Surfrider Beach will be dedicated as the world’s first World Surfing Reserve on Saturday Oct. 9 in a day-long ceremony. The Reserve will stretch from the inside of the Malibu Pier to the west side of Malibu Colony fence and out 500 meters into the ocean from the mean high tide line.
Major brands are also supporting the dedication of the Surfing Reserve in Malibu such as Paul Mitchell Body Glove and Billabong.
“This is an idea whose time has come utilizing the rich culture and heritage of surfing to rally the community around environmental conservation. An iconic place like Malibu is the perfect site for this Graham Stapleberg, the vice president of marketing for Billabong, said in a press release.
As a World Surfing Reserve, there will be many layers involved in the process of cleaning up and preserving Surfrider Beach.
A local stewardship council made up of surfers leaders and citizens will be the base of the power structure. They will be in the water and on the beach every day making sure the water is safe Berry said.
Heal the Bay, Project Save our Surf, Santa Monica Bay Keeper, Surfrider Foundation and the California Coastal Commission are among the many organizations that will be helping with the efforts to test the coastal waters and keep them clean.
One particular issue Save the Waves and its supporters promoted was the banning of the Malibu septic tanks, which was passed Sept. 26. However, converting the Malibu septic tanks to a cleaner sewer system will take up to nine years, according the LA Times. In the meantime, Save the Waves will be actively engaged in protecting the waves and the ecosystem in the Malibu Lagoon.
In addition to World Surfing Reserves, Save the Waves created a documentary that is featured at festivals and events around the world. They are also funding education outreach programs for kids to learn about marine biology.
Berry also acknowledges that the animosity between surfers in Malibu is unnaturally high, perhaps due to the low quality and quantity of the waves. We want to promote peace and love between the surfers. One way we can save the waves is by giving them away Berry said.
The Saturday ceremony will include a sunrise paddle-out at 7 a.m. after a local Chumash Spiritual Leader offers a blessing of the waves, which will be followed by the actual dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. A fundraiser celebration will take place at Duke’s at 7 p.m., during which singer Jon Swift with his violinist and bassist will be performing.
We’re taking a unique perspective that’s never been done before. The wave is an iconic public treasure and it needs to be protected Berry said.