FORTUNE FAVOURS THE WAVE: Global Wave Conference Recap
After a three year long hiatus, the Global Wave Conference (GWC) hit the coastal stage in Peniche, Nazare, and Ericeira in Portugal from October 2-4th. This region is blessed with some of Earth’s most prolific waves, big wave surfers, as well as a World Surfing Reserve in Ericeira, comprised of 4 km of protected coastline and surf breaks.
At Surfrider Canada, we decided to make the cross ocean expedition to attend the GWC to connect and strategize with fellow surf environmental nonprofits, global Surfrider network representatives, as well as blue-minded companies and artists. Despite the delayed flights, lack of sleep, and too much caffeine - we made it Peniche on October 1st, right in time for a sun drenched surf session (I was hell bent on bringing my 5mm wetsuit that I dawn in the frigid Canadian waters, so I was steaming).
The GWC kicked off that evening with a sunset party overlooking the Atlantic, setting the fun loving and community building vibe for the next few days. The GWC aims to gather some of the greatest minds in the surfing community and bring to the table essential themes such as conservation and innovation and tackling the world's most challenging ocean problems.
While it’s not possible to paint a picture of the entire conference with one blog post, we want to share the highlights and critical insights with you, which we can carry forward in our salty spirits in the ocean and coastal protection/restoration revolution. The first focal point was the chance to connect with the Surfrider network from around the world - our old pals in the United States, along with new friends from Surfrider Senegal, Morocco, Argentina, Europe, and Australia. It was truly inspiring and energizing to get to know people who are holding the flame of this movement from across the globe, and learn from each other's victories as well as our struggles. On the final day, we also conducted a global Surfrider meeting, strategizing on how to move forward with a stronger global presence and impact, including with our national campaigns as well as a collaborative international campaign. We made some exciting headway, including mobilizing around the Global Plastics Treaty, so stay tuned for more advocacy action coming down the surf pipeline.
Now, for some of our most beloved sessions from the conference! From day one, we fell in love with Wave Wahines based in North Devon, which the founder Yvette Curtis presented on. Yvette is working to make surfing more accessible to women and girls from all backgrounds in the UK. Wave Wahines runs a diversity surf program, a trauma from domestic violence surf program, and sessions for girls and women of all ages - starting at the age of 6! Wave Wahines supports women and girls with connecting in their environment, building confidence and empowerment, as well as stoke, fitness and friendship. Yvette spoke truth to power in her presentation, including how the surf industry is largely exclusive, as expressed in the Wave Wahine’s Surfing & Diversity report
“Contemporary surfing can be dated as far back as 12th century Polynesia but was not recorded on the shores of the UK until 1890 when two Hawaiian princes and their English tutor went stand up surfing in Bridlington in the North East of England. This means that the first recorded stand up surfers in the UK, were people of colour, but over 130 years later, the image of surfing in the UK is a very different one. Today, images of blonde, white, athletic men have been dominant in surf media and marketing which has shaped the culture of the sport to the exclusion of other diverse genders, ethnicities, cultures, body types and abilities”. Check out Wave Wahines, including the video below, and seek out the surf equity organizations and programs near you!
In regards to surf industry and innovation, it was a treat to meet the dream team of Finisterre, a certified B Corp™ British company that was founded in 2003 by Tom Kay. Finisterre is on a mission to produce exceptional products in a truly responsible and transparent fashion, all in the name of love for the sea. All of their clothing and accessories, from the cozy outwear, slick reusables and enviable surf ponchos are not a means to an end, they’re an avenue to make a social-ecological impact. For Finisterre, they’re advancing equitable access to the sea through their foundation, which “aims to remove barriers to access so everyone can get to and benefit from the transformative power of the ocean.” Through the Finisterre Foundation, charitable organizations and company projects are supported, including The Wetsuit Project, which adapts wetsuits for surfers with less mobility. Finisterre is also a champion of the circular economy, including supporting the repair and redistribution of their products through the Reskinned initiative. Another integral element of the circular economy is designing out toxic chemicals that adversely impact people and the planet. In the world of surf, this means ditching chloroprene ridden neoprene wetsuits, which is connected to Cancer Alley in Louisiana - a megalith of petroleum industries that are responsible for eggregiously high cancer rates in this part of the US, predominantly amongst Black Americans. Finisterre is addressing this issue, which is being exposed in the new film, The Big Sea, through their production of Yulex wetsuits. Yulex is not a petroleum product containing toxic chemicals like chloroprene, it’s a natural rubber derived from the guayule plant. Once the time comes to grab a new suit - as it is for me with my current wetsuit tearing at the seams, switching to a Yulex reduces C02 emissions by up to 80% from one wetsuit. We’re stoked to continue working with Finisterre and following their ventures as they chart new horizons.
With my affinity for the arts, I also enjoyed the Creators for the Ocean session, including a chat from marine biologist and illustrator Marta Musso. Marta started “Possea” an ocean literacy project that she runs from a yellow submarine on 4 wheels. Through this project, she educates youth about ocean science, conveying the importance of plankton through lively and relatable illustrations. Of course, we also loved the keynote talk with Chris Burkard, who shared some insightful gems from his work as a surf photographer. One resonant lesson is on impact: he believes that the more we can focus in on one specific cause, the deeper we can go, and the greater result we can achieve. He discussed his efforts supported a protected area in Iceland HÁLENDIÐ - ICELAND NATIONAL PARK, which is motivated to protect the natural landscape of the Icelandic highlights. He imparted that in today’s age of mass information and social media, we’re exposed to a greater amount of causes than ever before, and not only is it not possible for each one of us to address every issue, it’s also not natural. Instead of spreading ourselves thin amongst a neverending litany of causes, we can devote ourselves to campaign, program or project that resonates with our life experience, path and/or purpose. This idea reminds me of an important quote by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca (post by Ethical Unicorn)
While it may seem like our threads are disparate, the reality is that through our collective dedication, we pull on enough pieces to transform the whole tapestry for ecological liberation and mutual flourishing.
Finally, it was necessary hear from Jason Old, a historian discussing the politics of waves in Nicaragua, including the impact of settler surf tourism in this country and the resistance by local people who have taken up surfing and are now benefiting from the sport. This talk highlighted an integral point in the surf and sustainability discussion: surfing is an Indigenous sport that was and continues to be culturally appropriated by Western and capitalocentric development. While there is progress being made around the world to support Indigenous surfing resurgence, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion in surfing - like we see with Wave Wahines, there is a massive amount of work to be done to decolonize the surf industry and achieve regeneration and justice. As an organization working in the surf and sustainability space, it is incumbent on us acknowledge and confront these systemic problems and contribute to reformation: of community based surf tourism rooted in conservation economics and ensuring the preservation of surf breaks through a comprehensive approach that encompasses cultural, social, ecological, economic, and climatic dimensions.
Furthermore, reflecting on this conference and current global events elucidates for me how much of a privilege surfing is for most folks. That whenever we’re discussing protecting oceans and coastlines in light of surfing, we absolutely need to acknowledge that there are many people in this movement who are doing this work out of circumstance - to stay alive and provide for families. Surfing holds transformative power for healing individuals and communities and has deep cultural roots for Indigenous Peoples across the Pacific, it’s not just a sport to drop into on vacation with some lasting social media frame grabs. However, to realize this radical potential also means to contextualize this activity in broader coastal and marine politics, and to shape discourse, activism, and all sectors involved directly and indirectly with surfing around a holistic lens. This holistic lens needs to be dedicated to Indigenous resurgence, climate stability, environmental regeneration, as well as diversity, equity, inclusion and justice for all people of today and those of tomorrow to swim, surf, paddle, fish and joyously exist in our aqueous paths.