Oceans Waves Beaches

View from the beach

2009-11-29T09:25:00.001-08:00

There are lots of ways to appreciate the world's beaches. One is via photography. National Geographic recently posted it's 25 winners. This one caught my eye.

Photo by Richard Rush

Thanksgiving from the beach

2009-11-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving from Surfrider Foundation on Vimeo.

Ryan Tatar. Modern day Mark Rothko / Ron Stoner mashup

2009-11-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not overly fond of digital cameras. Sure, I know they're perfect for taking thirty images with the intention of keeping one. I understand that they've changed the way we view photography due to the fact that digital file space is approaching free. I'm aware that they've opened up many new ways to share images... instantly... with friends and family from anywhere on the globe. I know all these things.

But look at the images below.

Ryan Tatar's images deliver so much more than a digital image can. They bring me in.

We're used to seeing a photograph of Dane Reynolds flying above a wave with every drop perfectly in place. Everything is in focus, the foreground and the background, the subject and the meaningless details. It's all there with so much clarity it seems too good to be true. That's because it IS too good to be true. Very few people surf like Dane, the human eye can only put one thing in focus at a time and we don't have auto-fill flashes to make every scene of our lives appear almost manufactured. Digital cameras have done these things. Digital cameras deliver so much perfection that they rob our imagination.

Now look below. You can feel what it's like to be paddling out behind this guy. The water is 68 degrees. Pretty sunny day. The waves are just ok. Yet, being in the ocean is absolutely glorious. I can feel it. I feel it because Ryan captured it.

Take me back to the sixties. Mod hotel on the horizon. Above-the-knee boardshorts. Weber hatchet fin. Light leaks galore. This photo is like your favorite pair of jeans. The ones you've had forever... no, not the ones you bought semi-distressed... the ones you distressed because you've worn them into the ground.

These images can't be dismissed as "retro" (thus insignificant) because of the fact that they deliver emotion better than most modern, digital images. Tech is a tool, not an end in itself. Ryan embraces cross processing and tweaking images until they look like something you haven't seen in a while... maybe ever.

Look at this last photograph. The image itself is almost a throw away. It's a nondescript board, nothing special fin and some cloth. But then mash that up with large color fields, some odd shadows and you've got an stunning image that holds your attention. Ron Stoner meets Mark Rothko. Images like this last one, for me, solidifies Ryan's value. Artists like Picasso painted goats. Van Gogh painted random bales of hay. They took what was around them and transformed them into something notable, something amazing.

I dig Ryan Tatar's eye. I love his composition. I'm blown away with how much he embraces color. He brings me straight into the mission of Surfrider Foundation... the "enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches" part. I like that part... we all do.

For more on Ryan Tatar go here.

Beautiful and sad at the same time

2009-11-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

(Large file. Let it load a bit before viewing).

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

I'm aware of the various arguments pro and con aquarium. The larger point that I see when I watch this stunning video is breath-taking beauty that is worth preserving. Watch this and find a way to plug into the conservation movement. At the very least let's all seek to understand how our lifestyles are impacting the oceans.

Lawn versus ocean friendly garden

2009-11-20T04:43:00.000-08:00

Pointless: Lawns vs. OFG from marty benson on Vimeo.

If you don't see the video, click on the blog title. You'll be redirected to the original post.

Protecting waves

2009-11-17T06:17:00.000-08:00

more.

photo courtesy of CraigCoppola.com

The magnet of beach culture

2009-11-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

A few years ago we were robbed.

The robbers were drawn to something I could not have predicted. They took all my Vans. These were fairly hard to find as they were deep in my closet. They took little else. I grew up with my mom telling me to lock up the valuables, hide the silver, etc. She never said anything about Vans.

Think about that for a moment. The thieves sought out my Vans.

There are a few lessons in this story but the one that I take away is the pull of those shoes. A few pairs might have been collectible (such as the Surfrider Endangered waves Era) but the bulk of the them were basic models.

The shoes, at least for me, represent beach culture. The lesson was seeing the power, the pull, the magnet that beach culture is. Of course, one can simply suggest that some kids broke into the house and took the shoes so it isn't even a legit burglary. That would be sidestepping the point.

The surf industry is over $7 Billion.

Our population is acting like spin art.

It's caught in some kind of "beach culture" centrifugal force and moving swiftly away from the center of the country and toward the coasts.

75% of Americans will live within 80 miles of the coast by 2020. Source: Pew Research

We're pulled to the coast. This is true all over the world. There is something about living near the edge of land and water. There is something about beach culture. Flip flops, board shorts and a t-shirt. Simplicity.

But it's more than that. The beach is rejuvenating; from the fresh air to sand in our toes, it is relaxing to look away from civilization, roads and towns and look out at the vast ocean.

The anchor to beach culture, however, isn't a pair of Vans, the smell of coconut lotion or a rainbow shave ice.

The anchor of beach culture is the beach itself. Everything else plays a supporting role.

We're drawn to our oceans, waves and beaches because of what they give us, how they rejuvenate us, how they make us leave everything on the shore when we paddle out.

While we love the various elements that remind us of the beach, let's not forget the beach itself. Let's not forget we have a role in the preservation of it alongside our enjoyment.

It's one thing to understand the pull of our coastlines and why they matter to us all. It's another to act on that love.

Join Surfrider today.

Lawn versus food

2009-11-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

Ever walk down your street and see water going into the sewer? Of course you have. Ever wonder where that goes? Sure, the ocean. Ever wonder how clean that water is? Yep, it's taking everything in it's path on a waterslide to the ocean. How much fertilizer to you think people use on their lawns? Go look at the amount of options feeding the fertilizer demand in your local hardward store. Ever think we should use our personal spaces for something a bit more productive for our lives and a lot less polluting to our oceans? Mmm hmmm.

Pointless: Lawn vs. Food from marty benson on Vimeo.

If you don't see the video, click on the blog title. You'll be redirected to the original post.

Could the real value of artificial reefs be real estate revitalization? (not decent waves)

2009-11-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

I recently read yet one more piece on the Bournemouth artificial reef in the United Kingdom. There is plenty in the piece that meshes well with my series on this subject. Net net, the success of the reef from a surfing perspective is very questionable.

But as I read the piece I found myself doing the equivalent of looking away from the wave... and towards the town. I've never been to Bournemouth. I'm speaking figuratively.

The piece paints Bournmouth as an area that has seen better days. "To be honest, this whole area was pretty run down, disused and really grubby" Beverley Dunlop, Cabinet member for Leisure and Tourism at Bournemouth Borough Council.

Now look at it. The hipster, mod beach pods to the right are on the market for US$150,000. Among the more interesting aspects of these is the value proposition to prospective buyers... offering panoramic views across Bournemouth's new artificial surf reef. Does it matter that the wave only has body boarders on it? Or does it matter more that the reef offered so much sex appeal to a run down area of town?

My stance on artificial reefs is the same. It's simply too early to tell if this one offers any value to surfers. We need a year to see how many days it is surfed. So far it's being adopted by bodyboarders only, acts like a mini-me slab wave and has amazingly enough already become localized.

But the real story may not be the reef. The real story may be what's happening on land.

The dirty car badge of honor

2009-11-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

I drive a Mini Cooper S and I'm like all good Californians, I love my car.

I love how fun it is to drive. I love that it gets 40mpg on the highway. I love that I can carry three surfboard inside. Go ahead, admit it... you love it to.

One thing I've noticed over the past few months is how dirty the outside of my car is. I park it outside at home and it is frequently in airport parking lots. It's outside all the time. It's in the elements... getting dirty. It might not be a stretch to say that my car has the dirtiest exterior in our lot. No, this isn't my car to the right... I found a dirtier Mini than mine online.

My car is dirty but secretly... I kinda dig that.

It's not that I like dirt as I don't. It's just that I think that washing a car, at least as much as many Southern Californians do, is a waste. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm less self-obsessed about my car than others are... as I'm right there with everyone else. I LOVE me car. It's just that I see washing a car frequently as a waste of time, energy and natural resources.

And I think I can trace all of this to... Sam Walton.

Sam Walton, yea... the guy that founded Wal-Mart. You see, Sam drove an '88 Ford pickup truck when he could afford to be driven in a limo. I'm sure Sam was aware that his truck was a metaphor for his company and his management philosophy... money was to be preserved because it was inherently valuable. He didn't spend money on a car because he didn't need to spend it. Another way to say this is that Sam did anything but waste something he saw as valuable.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I grew up in the midwest and northeast. Maybe that is also related to my less-than-clean car. People's cars are dirtier in those regions than they are in Southern California. Sure, we have great weather in Southern California but our cars still get dirty (just look at mine). I think there is a different reason. Southern Californians are less connected to the water cycle. To generalize, we don't have a clue about the water we drink (or the water we wash our cars with... which is the same as the water we drink). When it doesn't rain for six months at a time one can easily lose the connection to the value of rainfall. What does this have to do with dirty cars, everything. The average person uses 65 gallons to wash their car. We use clean drinking water, arguably the most valuable resource on the globe, to wash our driveways and water lawns in an area where lawns aren't anywhere close to the natural, indigenous plants.

Sam Walton preserved cash and built an empire based on frugality. He embraced preservation of valuable resources. I'm suggesting that there is a metaphor in there for us, all of us. I'm suggesting we become more aware of how much we waste water.

Some of you might say "where do you draw the line, do you wash your dishes or water your lawn?" These are valid questions and worth asking. Where DO we draw the line? What is waste and what is not waste. My family ripped out our front lawn a few years ago and planted ocean friendly plants. Today it requires very little water and it looks gorgeous (check out Surfrider's new book on Ocean Friendly Garden's on Amazon). I committed to an ocean friendly front yard after thinking more about how much water I was pouring onto our lawn every day. I was literally watering my lawn with drinking water... all of us are.

The last thing I want to suggest with this post is that I've got it all figured out. I don't. We're ALL attempting to figure out more sustainable lifestyles. We need to be a bit more aware of what our daily habits cost. We need to understand that just because clean, drinkable water comes out of the faucet when we turn it on that doesn't mean it's free. We should be willing to sacrifice a little bit here and there. We need to align our habits with those things we see as truly valuable.

Our natural resources are among the most valuable commodities on the earth. Let's treat them that way... go ahead, skip your next car wash. Just park next to me and no one will notice.

Do artificial reefs work? Vol 5. Erosion control

2009-11-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

This is the number five in a series asking the question "do artificial (surfing) reefs work? The rest of the series is here.

A series on artificial surfing reefs would not be complete without a post on erosion control.

When we think of artificial surfing reefs many assume they are being put in to enhance (or introduce) a surfable wave. To be blunt, that assumption is increasingly misguided. The economics don’t support that sole value proposition (it takes millions of dollars to build a reef and its unlikely that it will generate enough use to justify the cost/benefit ratio).

Even though a good portion of the existing artificial reefs were designed solely to create a surfable wave, I believe most of the future artificial reefs will serve another primary purpose; erosion control. This because the cost of an artificial surfing reef is small relative to the budgets of many erosion response projects. It goes something like this “a few million dollars to build a reef is a good deal if it protects millions of dollars of property or slows down the need to import millions of dollars of sand (also aimed at controlling erosion)."

So with this post I will to explore the core issues involved in artificial reefs for erosion control. Like all the other posts in this series, I’m seeking your views and thoughts.

Wikipedia defines this concept as "the mass of a c losed system will remain constant o ver time, rega rdless of the processes acting inside the system."

In layman’s terms; sand isn’t created, it’s simply moved.

As illustrated in Figure 1, this says that if your are seeking to protect property A and believe you’ll do this building reef B all you’ll really do is steal sand from location C and put property D at risk.

Another way to look at this is that artificial reefs don’t “solve erosion” challenges, they merely move them elsewhere.

Look at Figure 2 and think of a seawall or groin that is perpendicular to the beach. To protect building A, wall B is put in and causes erosion C, thus putting property D at risk. We see this day-in and day-out, all over the globe. An artificial reef isn’t some magic coastal structure that is immune to the laws of physics, it is simply another category of coastal infrastructure that is submerged.

This brings us to the next point, the size of the erosion issue.

  The caveat to this is if you add sand via a beach dredge and fill project (euphemistically called beach “nourishment”), artificial surfing reefs may act to reduce wave energy in the lee of the structure and slow the erosion of this sand in that area. I talk about this more in point four later in this post.

There is a massive difference between a regional erosion issue and an hot-spot erosion issue. In the graphics above there is a systemic erosion problem that is causing both properties A and D to be at risk. In both of the examples above it was treated as if it were a hot spot issue, property owner A built a structure (artificial reef or a seawall). This solution never works as it puts other people's property at risk.

Artificial reefs cannot solve regional erosion problems because these erosion problems are simply too large for any single structure to address.

Artificial reefs may be able to address smaller, hot spot issues.

We’re not saying artificial reefs WILL solve hot spot erosion issues. We’re saying they may be able to solve these issues. We’re further saying that this is the best case scenario and that anything larger than a small hot spot cannot be solved by constructing an artificial reef.

Beach dredge and fill, euphemistically known as “beach nourishment”, is the process of taking sand from somewhere and dumping it somewhere else. I won’t go into the usual negative consequences of beach fill, you can find that here. I’m simply acknowledging that many times there are other variables at play when considering artificial reefs.

Beach fill is expensive, very expensive.

It literally means that sand is collected from one area, brought to another and deposited. Sometimes these areas are far from one another (Florida has imported sand from the Bahamas, Hawai’i has imported sand from Mexico). Sand isn’t easy or lightweight to transfer; it’s similar to transferring concrete. In addition sand, as well all know, washes away. A town could spend millions of dollars on new sand and see it washed away a week later due to an unplanned storm event. After the sand is washed away, more sand needs to be brought in which means more money must be spent.

Beach fill is man’s belief he can control nature. It’s folly. Expensive folly.

The way this relates to artificial reefs is that in many cases the true equation involves sand that doesn’t belong there in the first place. In Figure 3 sand X has been added to the mix. Therefore property A was already way too close to the coastline but buffered by new sand X. An artificial reef simply moves all the sand around (the natural. existing sand and imported, purchased sand). This is relevant as towns with beach fill programs have a very challenging time of understanding where nature’s lines would be naturally and therefore they tend to make financial investments (imported sand and artificial reefs) in areas that are beach monsters with man-made sections "bolted on."

Beach fill with an artificial surfing reef will not solve an erosion problem. The combination may potentially slow down the erosion process or increase the time period between beach fills.

I’m going to take a run at the seven artificial reefs that exist in the world and suggest why they were built. If you disagree with me, please leave your comments.

Even though most of these reefs were built for surfing, my sense is that they’ve failed at that objective (read the larger series for that perspective and detail). Building artificial reefs, while seemingly popular, I believe will become increasingly challenging.

Specifically, I believe that due to the horrible track record of existing artificial reefs based on their ability of producing waves when compared with the high quality waves that surfers actually seek out... artificial reefs won't continue to be able to be sold with unrealistic sales pitches (as has been the case in the past).

After decades and numerous implementations, it's impossible to point to one decent wave on the planet created via an artificial reef. That's a problem for artificial reef sales pitches that stress good, consistent waves.

Furthermore due to the very high cost of creating a reef for a relatively small number of recreational surfers that will benefit, I believe we will see a shift for artificial reefs to be sold to towns, cities (and any other entity that can write million dollar checks) with the business case primarily focusing on erosion control. If this specific hypothesis is true we will see even less success with artificial reefs ability to create a meaningful wave that surfers seek out (because they will be built with an emphasis on erosion control and not creating a surfable wave).

To summarize this post, artificial reefs are not that different than any other coastal structure. Perhaps the only difference is that they are under water. We know from the conservation of mass principle (and from instances all over the world) that sand isn’t created; it’s simply moved around. Artificial reefs, like all their coastal structure brethren move sand from one place to another. The best case scenario is for a coastal structure to have a single, primary purpose. When the purpose is anything less than 100% focus on creating good wave forms that are sought after, we will see worse results than we’ve seen to date. This all points to a challenging future for artificial reefs.

Where's your ashtray?

2009-11-04T04:30:00.000-08:00

As a non-smoker I don't think I've ever understood the logic of throwing a butt onto the ground. Doing that is littering. Period.

Hold Onto Your Butt from marty benson on Vimeo.

If you don't see the video, click on the blog title. You'll be redirected to the original post.

Lighting a match to an existing disaster

2009-11-02T14:53:00.001-08:00

Bournemouth artificial reef and bodyboarders

2009-11-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

The folks over at MagicSeaWeed popped up some pics of the new Bournemouth artificial reef breaking, they are here).

The below photo illustrates the wave essentially folding over onto itself as the water sucks off the sandbags (I'd like to know how deep it is... I'm guessing it's very shallow). Also, I'm not sure I can find a single surfer in this photo... they are all bodyboarders. They are bodyboarders because the wave produces a form that lends itself to a bodyboard and not a surfboard. A similar thing was seen with Mt. Reef in New Zealand.

photo: magicseaweed

Active duty, redefined -- the Manase Mansur podcast

2009-10-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

I first came to know Manase because he was a constant fixture at the San Diego Surfrider chapter meetings. He was always engaged and always adding value. About a year ago he left the sands of Southern California for his third tour on the sands of Iraq.

When I heard he was back, safe and sound, I was thrilled. When I heard how he had taken our Rise Above Plastics campaign into the desert and
architected a large-scale recycling program within the world's armed forces... I was blown away.

The truth is that I probably shouldn't have been blown away. Sure, creating a plastics-recycling program in the middle of a war might be reason enough for that but... we're talking about Manase. One thing I've learned about activists like Manase is that I should never... ever underestimate what they are capable of and the impact they can have.

There are many levels to this man, I tried to capture one or two on this podcast.

Listen in as we catch up at Surfrider's hq in San Clemente. We recorded this and then walked into the most recent International Conference... and I watched Manase plug into that group as easily and seamlessly as he does everything everything else.

Other podcasts are here. Subscribe to podcasts via itunes here. And if you're wondering why I create podcasts like these, that answer is here

The ocean is not a dump

2009-10-29T16:15:00.001-07:00

I love the creativity our chapters apply to our mission. Here's one of handbills for Rehoboth Beach, Deleware ocean outfall issue. More on that here.

We pay to drink water, what if we paid to breathe?

2009-10-29T04:26:00.000-07:00

Wheelin' Dealin': Single Use Plastics from marty benson on Vimeo.

If you don't see the video, click on the blog title. You'll be redirected to the original post.

Meanwhile... the 2 1/2 month old oil spill continues in Australia

2009-10-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

I wrote a month or so ago about a crazy oil spill that was somehow staying out the news. The spill was the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island at the time.

This is a noteworthy spill as this is a new rig (thus putting "new tech doesn't spill argument into question). Also noteworthy was the fact that it was spilling 400 barrels per day.

Well, it's still spilling.

They've now tried to stop the spill three times and failed every time.

The oil is now covering 2,600 square miles and approaching within 35 miles of the Kimberley coas t

More here and here.

Waiting in vain

2009-10-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

The dialog around the artificial reef in Boscombe, England is getting heated. The reef, created by New Zealand's ASR, is overbudget and late. Today, a lone voice called to give Boscombe a chance to prove itself. Ok, we'll wait (it's not as if we have a choice in the matter).

The fact that it didn't break last week or isn't breaking today is side-stepping the point. On any given day the best waves in the world aren't working. The point for the taxpayers who paid for this is "what will the return on investment be for the Bascombe reef?"

Of the total 365 days in any year going forward how many days will this reef have surfers on it? Will the reef attract new surfers from other areas? How will those new surfers the reef attracts impact the local economy?

Sure, we'll wait and see. But one thing is for sure... a whole lot of eyes are on Boscombe.

Wave fields via Maya Lin

2009-10-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

I've been a Maya Lin fan since he was awarded the Vietnam memorial a few decades ago. Her current works intersect with our mission as she's taking on the subject of waves.

Check her work out. It's 3 - 5' in Michigan... on land. Next installation will be at Storm King.

Midway, Garbage Patch, Albatrosses and more

2009-10-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

A few photogs and videographers have been out to the gyre. Check out the following videos. More on their journey here.

Ride everything movement: The return of unadulterated joy

2009-10-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

Our mission is "...the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches for all people..." File this under enjoyment.

Something happened in the mid to late 80s. Joel Tudor was in his early teens and connecting "youth," "fun," and "longboard." Of course that's an oversimplification... there were others that never stopped riding longboards and alternative shapes (Herbie, Hynd, Campbell brothers...). However, living in Cardiff at the time, Joel broke down a door to an entire generation that didn't ride anything but thrusters, and he essentially said, "ride what you dig."

Fast forward to 2009. We all watch surf videos (like the one below) and surfers ride boards that would have been considered odd or impossible a few years back. Today, riding a longboard or Alaia is no big deal. Today, a movement exists for people to simply seek joy while riding waves in the ocean. Today, there isn't just a handful of people embracing the "ride everything" mantra, it is the majority who surf. Even in the professional ranks there is rampant experimentation going on. Kelly is shaping his own boards AND riding them on the tour. Taj is riding what I'd call a post-modern construction (Firewire). Rasta, Rob and Del Moro are riding anything they can get their hands on (including shapes that predate the fin), and they aren't riding these boards for photo opportunities, they're riding them because they dig them.

The coolest thing about the "ride everything" movement is that everyone can participate. A good chunk of our staff that surfs is embracing and riding anything they can get their hands on... David Rey in membership loves his Liddle Hull and Danny Hess Handplane. Chad Nelsen, our enviro man, shaped his own Alaia... Ryan in accounting is building a Grain fish, etc.

For me this IS a breakthrough. This IS a change. This IS something different. It came to me the other day when I was talking with Drew Brophy, I had seen his mind boggling waves at Puerto Escondido on a stand-up, and he said something to the effect of, "stand-up will become bigger than surfing."

Brophy's comment reminded me of bicycles. Before Gary Fisher introduced the mountain bike, the only cyclists were bikes rode 10 speeds. Cycling, overall, was tiny. Fisher broke down the door, and now bikes come in a myraid of sizes, constructions and orientations. What happened was that the mountain bike opened up an entirely new and mainstream way to ride bikes offroad, and also reminded all of us how simple and joyful riding a beach cruiser can be, which eventually led to the current fixed-gear craze. Mountain bikes DID overtake 10 speeds, and my sense is that Drew is probably correct on his assessment of the stand-up. Next time you're in the water, look at what people are using... standups.

Watch the video. It's not about oddball shapes. It's not about throwback, retro eras. It's about fun. Look at the smiles of these guys getting barreled, much more sincere than if they were on a thruster. Imagine yourself in that George Greenough point-of-view. Go ahead, make yourself a paipo. Smile.

Chad Waldron's Momentary Film Regarding a Wooden Board from Waldron Bros Production on Vimeo.

Congress starts to flush out cruise ship operators with The Clean Cruise Ship Act

2009-10-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Most people that take cruise ships have no idea what happens to their sewage and other waste. If cruise ships are three miles out, they can dump it.

Yes. Cruise ships, which are increasingly the size of small cities, are using our oceans as their sewers.

First time I heard about this... I was beside myself. But years later, even after some of our best activist work, coming out of the state of Florida, it's still going on.

Which is why we're stoked that Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Representative Sam Farr (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to put an end to this... crap.

Here's more information about the problem and the proposed solution.

Bournemouth artificial reef unveiled!!! (and swiftly dismissed by locals)

2009-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

So much anticipation! So much promise! The much ballyhooed, multi-million dollar reef in Boscombe, England is finally here.

Yawn.

It's already been tagged "white elephant" by local press complete with the quote "It is a white elephant. Every day I see more surfers to the right of the pier than the left because, like us, they have already realised that the reef doesn’t work.”

Ouch.

A lot of people had visions of Hawaii coming to England's southern shores. A lot of people paid for those visions, using taxpayers' money to fund this reef.

It's never a good idea to overpromise... this was what was expected: "The reef at Boscombe is designed to provide a grade five wave on a day with a good swell which is considered to be in the "challenging" range (Hawaii Pipeline is a grade eight)." Comparing an artificial reef... any artificial reef, anywhere in the world... to Pipeline on Oahu is not a good idea. There is no where to go but down. Even if it was delivered on time, which it wasn't. Even if it was coming in under budget, which it didn't (currency conversion note: 3,000,000 pounds is $5,000,000) In a sad way this reef was simply oversold.

The "white elephant" story referenced above included a quote from ASR, the company that built the reef. They said “In the case of the Boscombe reef we have built a structure that maximises surfability of conditions that exist in the English Channel.”

Now, it would be quite easy to poke fun at the "surfability of conditions that exist in the English Channel." I think of many things when I think of the English Channel... surfing isn't one of them. Honestly, I was so confused by this reef placement that I sought the knowledge of the smartest person I know regarding swell patterns and global wave activity. I spoke with Sean Collins, the founder of Surfline. He schooled me. I said to him "I can’t figure out why they are building a reef in Bournemouth, England. Do they get any swell there at all?" and the following is his response:

"Yes, it doesn’t look like that exposed of a location as it is up in the channel and faces southerly. But when big storms begin to track down through the northern Atlantic in Fall there may some pre-frontal SSW swell that could penetrate up into the channel into the Bournemouth area. Also longer periods WSW swells will be able to feel the offshore bathymetry to wrap into the Bournemouth area. Additionally this area looks much cleaner with better wind conditions than the more exposed west coast."

My layman's version of that is... they could see some Fall waves. So. Let's not be so quick to label this reef a failure until they've actually seen a Fall. We won't have to wait long as... it's Fall now.

So before we label this the greatest heist since the dawn of bottled water... let's give this reef some time.

Related... stay tuned for the next in the "Do Artificial Reefs work?" series.

Plastic kills

2009-10-21T01:29:00.000-07:00

To be specific, over 1,000,000 sea birds die every year because they ingest single-use plastics. Birds can't digest plastic. Plastic gets stuck in their digestive system and then they die.

Here are a few more photos of what sea bird deaths look like. These photos were taken by Chris Jordan, who's been profiled on this blog before and is known for his visually-jarring works that reflect where our consumerist culture is out of whack. The photos are from his most recent trip to the Garbage Patch.

Some of our choices regarding leading a smaller-footprint lifestyle are more challenging than others. The drastic reduction of single-use plastics, at least from my perspective, is one of the easier ones. It's much less expensive to use a water filter and re-usable bottles to drink water. It's pretty darn easy to take reusable bags (which seem to be ubiquitous at the moment) into a grocery store rather than use plastic ones for ten minutes and then throw them away.

If you've already done those things and you're still looking for ways to engage on this topic, turn to your family, friends and co-workers. Educate them on the issues surrounding this topic. Enable them to become part of the movement that brings things back into some semblance of environmental balance.