the Adventure Lifestyle magazine

IN FRONT:: Since g/l1 many surfers, who normally fear very little when it comes to travel, have put their next trip on hold. But listen up, here's a good reason to pack your boards and fly. The world's endangered surf spots need your help. From the Canary Islands to Ireland, from Mexico to Chile, many of the globe's best point and reef breaks are in danger of disappearing forever. And the culprit? Not terrorists bearing arms, but businessmen in suits and ties who would rather see beaches filled with hotels and restaurants, and coastlines dotted with boat harbors and marinas. What good will I do by travelling there? you might ask. Apart from your presence alone, you will be wielding the almighty dollar, which is quickly becoming the best way to win an argument with any government. One of Chile's best left points is dangerously close to being buried under several tons of concrete and steel. Rancho Topocalma has long been one of South America's best-kept secrets, with three world-class waves on a pristine, forested stretch of coastline south of Santiago. But not for long. Chile's largest electric company has purchased the land and applied for permits to build a $300 million dollar proj- ect, the scale of which Chile has never seen. The plan calls for golf courses, housing for 50,000 inhabitants, and, you guessed it, two marinas, both of which will obliterate the point breaks. In Baja, California, the Mexican government has mapped out the Escalera Nautica, or nautical staircase, which will place at least six new marinas along the peninsula's Pacific coast. The locations? Some of Baja's best points, including Punta Abreojos and one of the hemi- sphere's most precious gems, Scorpion Bay. This problem is not a new one. Natural conditions necessary for a good boat harbor often exist at point breaks. Furthermore, most governments do not recognize surfing tourism as a viable income source, and are as yet uninterested in preserving surf spots once they catch a whiff of the economic benefits of a major harbor and resort development. Steve England, assistant editor of Carve Magazine in the UK and co-founder of the environmental group Surfers Against Sewage had this to say about the current development scheme in Europe: "The main problem seems to stem from a European grant which is available to fund harbour development. Once local businessmen get a sniff of cash, and the idea they may be able to turn the local beach into Cannes, they get cash signs in their eyes." In Ireland, developers are lobbying for a boat harbor, and want to place it literally on top of Bundoran Peak, the site of this year's Quiksilver Masters Event. "You can't approach these people like you're a bunch of yahoo surfers," says Richie, owner of Bundoran's only surf shop, "telling them that it's a perfect peak and one of the best waves in all of Europe. They just won't listen. You have to speak in the language of money." He's had some success, and showing them that tourism dollars from Ireland's first international surfing event certainly helped. In Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic, one of Europe's best waves was also recently under threat of extinction. Madeira was discovered less than ten years ago as a premier surfing destination, and since then the European pro circuit has capitalized on the island's big wave spots, which can often rival Hawaii in both quality and power. Yet the Madeiran Parliament had approved plans to build a large mari- na project at one of the island's hottest spots, Lugar de Baixo. Local surfers were unable to convince them otherwise. In response, an international group of surfers organized a new grass-roots coalition, called Save the Waves, that dedicates itself to the preservation of surf spots around the world. Save the Waves began a publicity campaign, urging global surfers to write letters to the government, while at the same time educating the Madeiran people and politicians that in destroying a surf spot, they were also destroying a significant tourist attraction. Save the Waves representatives traveled to Madeira last month to meet with members of Parliament and give press conferences, presenting them with surf industry numbers from the US to convince them that they could be destroying a powerful source of future income. The Madeiran government folded. In late October they announced that they would move the harbor to another site. So yes, your dollar can make a difference. If nothing else, by traveling to one of these exotic locales you will be supporting the THE BREAKS OF MAOEIRA. PORTUGAL preservation of its natural resources: surf. And you'll probably have a little fun, too. Something to take your mind off of what's happening in the rest of the world.-William Henry FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO HELP PRESERVE THE WORLD'S WAVES, VISIT WWW.SAVETHEWAVES.ORG.

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