starsurfbox: GO SIGN THE PETITION ...

why sign??
www.protectourwaves.org.uk

Calling for 100,000 signatures to protect UK waves. Sewage, litter and offshore developments are threatening to kill our waves. Sign our petition to save them.

The aim of SAS's Protect Our Waves petition is to generate at least 100,000 signatures to highlight the value of surfing waves and locations to the UK government and encourage MPs to debate legislation in order to recognise the importance of waves as a cultural, social, economic and environmental asset to coastal communities.
SAS believes that waves and surf spots deserve to be seen as part of UK heritage and should be afforded greater recognition and protection through debate and legislation.
By signing the Protect Our Waves petition: "I am calling on Parliament to debate the economic and intrinsic value of UK surfing waves and beaches, and produce specific legislation to protect these unique, finite assets for this and future generations

"I'm stoked to support Surfers Against Sewage protect our waves petition. Beaches and surf spots should be better protected, so please join me in signing the SAS petition for clean, protected waves, beaches and oceans."
Ben Howard, Musician & Surfer

"I'm signing Surfers Against Sewage petition to help protect surf spots, waves and beaches for this and future generations. Clean, perfect waves and great surf spots are finite natural resources just like our forests, lakes and mountains, and we must ensure they are protected from over-development, pollution and other environmental threats such as marine litter."
Ben Skinner, 9x European Longboard Champion

"Surfing waves bring with them so much positive energy - a healthy lifestyle, environmental awareness and responsibility, community spirit and fantastic fun, so we need to ensure we protect healthy waves, reefs and beaches for tomorrow's up and coming surfers."
Alan Stokes, UK Professional Surfer

"Surfers Against Sewage is already working to protect a number of threatened surfing breaks around the UK and it is shocking that there is no law to protect them. Waves and surfing beaches need to be recognised as part of UK coastal heritage and should be afforded greater protection and seen as unique, valuable And scarce assets, just like an ancient woodland or historic building."
Hugo Tagholm, SAS Director

Surfers Against Sewage - Protect Our Waves - RIP Surfing 1890-2013

Surfers Against Sewage - Protect Our Waves - Surfboard Graveyard - What if the next wave never comes?

Surfers Against Sewage - Protect Our Waves - No Waves. No Surf.

protecting waves

Surfers Against Sewage has set out four key steps to protect the waves:

Increase public awareness

Objects such as mountains and rivers are the easiest things for people to envisage as elements that should be protected, because they are more or less fixed. The concept that a particular 'wave' needs protecting is, however, much more difficult. One reason for this is that when we refer to a 'wave', we don't really mean just one wave. We really mean the circumstances that come together to make waves break at a particular spot on the coast, in a particular way. Saying that we need to protect the 'right-hander at Thurso East' is a bit like saying we must protect the '09:50 from Paddington to Oxford'. In reality we are not protecting just one train; rather we are protecting the circumstances that allow that service to run.

Surfers become stakeholders

Surfers and other coastal water-users need an official voice within the politics of a country, in other words, become official stakeholders, this would ensure that their views are taken that much more seriously. A breakthrough has recently been made in Scotland, as a direct result of considerable lobbying by SAS. In February 2010, the Scottish Government recognised recreational water-users’ need for a voice on Regional Planning Partnerships within the Scottish Marine & Coastal Access Act. The amendment was forwarded by former Green Party Member of Scottish Parliament, Robin Harper, on behalf of Surfers Against Sewage. A seat on the regional planning partnerships gives recreational water-users the platform to voice any concerns relating to the marine environment and recreational wave resources. Achievements like these set a great precedent, which can be used as an example when justifying that water-users should become stakeholders in other countries.

Surfing reserves

Another way to protect an area containing good surfing waves is with a surfing reserve. If implemented in a similar way to a bird sanctuary or other type of nature reserve, the surfing reserve could make sure that, at least, certain 'iconic' surfing waves are protected forever. The concept was first introduced in Australia way back in 1973. Even though declaring a spot a surfing reserve in theory won't stop somebody coming along and destroying a wave if they really wanted to, the high-profile recognition of a spot will make a lot more people sit up and take notice if something negative starts to happen. In the UK, surfing reserves could be integrated into sustainable development practices managed alongside the environmental, societal and economic fabric of local communities.

Laws to protect waves

Laws are needed to specifically protect surfing waves. In the UK, developers already have to go through an expensive and time-consuming process to get planning permission, and this includes conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). If there were proper laws stating that surfing waves cannot be interfered with or destroyed, it would be in the developers' own interest to avoid putting their concrete in the wrong place. At the moment, no law exists in the UK to protect surf spots, but it does in one country: Peru. Peru has a history of surfing culture that goes back almost as far as Hawaii, and surfing is seen as a respectable and worthwhile pastime, unlike in many parts of Europe.

What leaders need to do

Waves and surf spots need to be recognised as part of the UK heritage and should be afforded greater recognition and protection. Surfers Against Sewage is calling for legislation to better recognise and protect UK surfing waves and beaches. Revised criteria could work within the existing Marine & Coastal Access Act, revised Bathing Water Directive, Water Framework Directive and the Clean Neighbourhood & Environment Act or be set up as a new piece of legislation. The first step towards this is a parliamentary debate on the economic and intrinsic value of UK surfing waves and beaches, and a comprehensive understanding of the threats to waves

UK waves under threat:

Sandside

Location: North coast of Scotland.
Threat: Radioactive waste in the sea and on the beach.
SAS Status: Threat active and could be for thousands of years.

Brighton Marina

…and multiple south coast surfing beaches.
Location: South coast.
Threat: Rampion offshore wind farm reducing wave height by up to 22%.
SAS Status: Live.

Marwick Bay

Location: West coast of Orkney.
Threat: Offshore Wave Energy Converter.
SAS Status: Threat on-going.

Fraserburgh Reef

Location: North East Scotland (30 miles north of Aberdeen).
Threat: Offshore windfarm cable laid across surfing reef.
SAS Status: Threat on-going.

The Cove

Location: East coast between Scarborough and Newcastle.
Threat: Pollution, still failing outdated minimum bathing water standards.
SAS Status: Threat on-going.

Freshwater Bay

Location: Isle of Wight.
Threat: Harbour wall development.
SAS Status: Early consultation stage.

Challaborough

Location: Near Plymouth.
Threat: Inappropriate coastal protection scheme.
SAS Status: Campaign victory, development proposal retracted after SAS campaign actions.

The Bench AKA Broad Bench

Location: Kimmeridge Bay, South coast.
Threat: Restricted access by MoD.
SAS Status: On-going negotiations, potential for legal action.

St Agnes & St Ives

Location: Cornwall.
Threat: Dredging.
SAS Status: Threat on-going.

The Cove

Location: East coast between Scarborough and Newcastle.
Threat: Pollution.
SAS Status: Threat on-going

"Been traveling the globe for the past month and stopped by the Surfers Against Sewage HQ in Cornwall to support their new Protect Our Waves Petition campaign. Please make sure you sign the petition to help protect UK surf spots."
Rob Machado, Surfer

"I'm stoked to support Surfers Against Sewage protect our waves petition. Beaches and surf spots should be better protected, so please join me in signing the SAS petition for clean, protected waves, beaches and oceans."
Ben Howard, Musician & Surfer

"Surfing waves bring with them so much positive energy - a healthy lifestyle, environmental awareness and responsibility, community spirit and fantastic fun, so we need to ensure we protect healthy waves, reefs and beaches for tomorrow's up and coming surfers."
Alan Stokes, UK Professional Surfer

"History is a very powerful thing, it can remind you where you came from and in the same way help you where to go. The UK's surf culture runs deeper than many would know, and a failure to protect this - in anyway - would be a failure on all our parts. We're backing the campaign and many more should do the same."
Tom Kay, Founder of Finisterre

"This campaign aims to set a precedent by adding official recognition and a measure of protection to a truly renewable resource. Recognising its economic importance for those coastal communities building creative and sustainable business around the surf, but also socially, for those of us who plan to keep chasing waves for as long as we're able."
Ben Freeston, Founder of MSW

"I'm signing Surfers Against Sewage petition to help protect surf spots, waves and beaches for this and future generations. Clean, perfect waves and great surf spots are finite natural resources just like our forests, lakes and mountains, and we must ensure they are protected from over-development, pollution and other environmental threats such as marine litter."
Ben Skinner, 9x European Longboard Champion

"Natural surf breaks should be treated as world heritage sites, and should never be destroyed no matter what the reason… We really can't allow any existing surf breaks to be taken down, for whatever reason."
Yvon Chouinard, Founder & CEO of Patagonia, Inc.

"Surfers Against Sewage is already working to protect a number of threatened surfing breaks around the UK and it is shocking that there is no law to protect them. Waves and surfing beaches need to be recognised as part of UK coastal heritage and should be afforded greater protection and seen as unique, valuable And scarce assets, just like an ancient woodland or historic building."
Hugo Tagholm, SAS Director

"Please sign this petition too :)"
Gabrielle Aplin, Musician

"Please take some time to sign this petition."
Xavier Rudd, Musician & Surfer

"I support the Protect Our Waves campaign by Surfers Against Sewage. I've known these guys a long time, I met them back in 1990. Anyways, you guys are doing a good job!"
Kelly Slater, 11x Surfing World Champion