Surf Industry Revolution

wsl succeeded in turning surfing into a mainstream sport.pretty sad if u ask me,i dont even watch the contests anymore.slaters gone,its all the youngbloods,the waves suck.more beaches are getting crowded,everyones learning to surf.surfing used to be an escape for me.sometimes cant even escape in the winter.and i live in nj lol.i cant imagine what its like down in florida and obx and stuff where ppl actually surf

 

It’s not an issue around here if you know where to go when things get crowded. There’s always an empty peak or beach. Miles and miles of open coastline with easy access keeps it pretty thin in most lineups. There’s a handful of crowded spots but compared to places like Malibu they are considered empty I’m sure.

 

The pros and the top tier "freesurfers/hipsters/social media sensations" love it, they get paid to travel the world and surf awesome waves and make bank. So... the far fetched dream has been realized... to the detriment of all us average Joe/Jane core surfers who have to put up with all the bs. So be it, no worries.

As DP321 says, you can still find a piece of paradise all to your lonesome, close to home, if you are dialed in and put the time and energy in. I type this wearing my Vans, they rule and are still core!

 

Journeyman (or as my dad says...diehards). The guys that grind it out and make the effort score. To the rest it's secondary.

+1 on finding a (your) piece of paradise

 

No worries.

 

Sorry i disagree. 'Real surfers(whatever that is)' don't care. They just surf.

 

In one way or another... whether it be the progression of board design and construction, the progression of surfing, or the clothes on your back... every one of us benefits from the surf industry. It might not be the modern surf industry... maybe it's the historical surf industry from back in the day... but we wouldn't be where we are today without it. I'm not a fan of pro surfing... but you can't deny that fact.

As far as Surfrider goes... or any organization like that... it comes down to how active and influential your local chapter is. If you're gonna beat anybody up in an organization like that, beat up your local leadership.

 

But wasn't it the national leadership that led the way away from focus on surfing??

 

You're probably right. My rationale for going after the local leadership is that I think it's just too big to fight... you probably won't win that war. But if you go after the local chapter (their the ones that get things done local that affect you directly anyway), they can put pressure on the folks at the National level.

I know it was my local chapter that fought the design of a beach replenishment project that would have wiped out at least a dozen breaks. They negotiated with the local governments and ACOE to redesign the project, and those breaks were saved.

So if your local chapter isn't active or powerful enough to get things done, force those changes. At least that's how I see it...

 

that's pretty much what happened in OCMD from what i understand. That chapter consistently only pushed the national agenda so a group of locals got fed up and started their own group apart from Surfrider.

 

Can you provide us a link? I would like to learn your technique

 

Fucking AWESOME.

 

Spot on. The "photo" spots might be crowded, but so much empty coastline, you can always find a nice peak to yourself (especially from Brevard to Martin county).

 

Yep and even the photo spots can be empty during the week.

 

SR was founded by Glen Hening in 1984 to save Malibu from development. His success launched Surfrider, then over time as additional management populated SR with environmental back grounds their focus and priorities changed.

Here's Glen discussing "Surf Parks"

http://www.surfparkcentral.com/surf-park-summit-opening-address-glenn-hening-surfrider-co-founder/

 

LB,

Kudos to your local Chapter on that accomplishment; we studied that project for our Chapter utilizing better beach slope design, feeder beach plus finer sand grain. This is the kinda stuff SR should be doing, a SR Board Member retired from ACOE but his knowledge and expertize is not utilized, I tried ...

 

Also a money issue, at the time memberships were $25, Chapter only retains $5.00 so not much capital to fund local issues. OC Surf Club is now double or triple the members since they left SR and reformed. While they lost the national Surfrider "brand" their voice with OC City Council and Beach Patrol much stronger now same leadership.

 

If I drop a deuce at the base of a sand dune and then kick sand over it to cover it up, it's no harm no foul right????

 

In the early 2000s PB County SR cleaned up DuBois Park (it is now closed againne due to high levels of bacteria) through sound water testing and put the fire to the feet of the PB County Health Department and the ERM, made them dredge the channel of Baby Shit Creek where it flows into the Jupiter Inlet.

We shut down the shark feeding dive boat operators by petitioning the state FWC to outlaw the practice in coastal waters (they still do it on the downlow).

We kept several major surfing beaches open for public access due to the 20 year grandfather clause such as Reef Road, Pumphouse, Juno Pier, Clarke Beach, etc, and negotiated a peace treaty with the fisher folk at the two piers that is still ongoing.

We shut down the ill advised plan to create a parallel breakwater that would destroy the Ocean Reef park surfzone when we were told it was a done deal.

We cleaned countless beaches and raised awareness on a grass roots level about taking ownership and stewardship of our oceans beaches and waves here locally on a shoestring budget and got some large donors enthused enough to fund our efforts here for a while.

Without National Surfrider handouts. Without surf industry handouts. Some local shaper would donate a board and we would raffle it off at WARPED Tour or at local clubs during live rages, and we produced Liquid Gallery - an art show - where local artists donated stuff for the cause.

It is up to each of us to do our part, or not. Sometimes the simple act of surfing, when you break it down, is very dependent, not independent. Clean water, accessible breaks, good equipment, nice vibe in the water, should not be taken for granted.