It’s never a cool feeling to come away from a session feeling the way I felt(and feel) after surfing a break just north of Ponto in Carlsbad, Ca yesterday. The waves did their part, and aside from the moderate onshore flow creating some crumble, the 4-6ft surf was enjoyable as always. On the other hand the ocean and beach looked miserable, and I’m afraid they have left me feeling the same.

I wouldn’t consider myself a biologist by any stretch of even the wildest imagination. With that being said, it doesn’t really take one to know that the brown bubbly funk lining the shoreline is not anything that anyone, or anything for that matter, should be swimming in. With my eyes on the incoming sets and blinded by anticipation I consciously ignored the nastiness washed in with the tide and made my paddle out. That ignorance has put me down and left me feeling quite ill today, and I’m paying a price for it.

We made our way in after dropping into some fun ones as well as heaving the always welcome pleasure of having dolphins pass through the line-up. As Cameron, his visiting brother Chris, and myself made our way back up the beach I noticed an even more heart-wrenching site. Lines and lines of kelp with man-made nonsense strewn throughout. Straws, bags, condom wrappers, ribbon, balloons…it was the who’s who in the world of plastics, and it was simply embarrassing.

Is this standard we hold for our beaches? Have we all, myself included, turned our heads for so long that it’s not until we find ourselves physically ill that we recognize how serious of a problem this is?

As I walked shamefully along the shore by the side of Cameron and Chris I attempted to wrap my head around just how awful of a problem this is for all of us, both in and out of the water. Foundations like Surfrider do unbelievable amounts of good at the front lines of the battle. But without the concerted efforts of each of us it will never be enough. Even something as simple as picking up a few pieces of garbage each time you paddle out can make a difference. Although many courageously choose to, you don’t need to dedicate your life solely to this cause to have an effect. Maybe just try and give a little back to that which gives us so much. That is something all of us can do.

surfrider foundation

Tags: Surfrider Foundation

Posted by Shaun on Saturday, March 29th, 2008 in Surfing.

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