The history of Surfrider Foundation: feature for Wavelength

Editorial feature for global surf mag, Wavelength

Surfrider Foundation is one of the world’s most successful non-profit organisations. For almost 40 years they’ve been working hard to protect the oceans that we all love and surf in, so it was inspiring, to say the least, to interview CEO Chad Nelsen and hear all about it firsthand for this piece in Wavelength Magazine.

Here are some snippets from the article and a little glimpse of my words on the pages! But if you’d like to buy a copy of the magazine to read the full piece and all of the other interesting stories in this issue, you can do so here.

“It all began with four surfers in California back in 1984, the year when Ronald Reagan was elected for president, Ghostbusters dominated the big screen and Apple unveiled their first Mac. The surfers were concerned about environmental threats from development and pollution at their beloved local break, Malibu. They decided to defend it, rallying a handful of surfers for a group protest and presenting solutions to California State Park officials at a public hearing. They won. Malibu was preserved and the Surfrider Foundation was born.”

“The Surfrider Foundation was built from the ground up by deeply passionate, everyday people who wanted to make a change. And, despite its massive growth, it’s still being run in the same way today with ocean-loving CEO Chad Nelsen at the helm. 

I was lucky enough to chat to Chad across the pond, and hear first-hand about Surfrider’s story, most notable victories and his 24 year journey with the organisation.”