Surfers
Crack The Code in Ventura
Written
by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
The phrase on everyone’s lips at the Surfrider Foundation’s California & Hawaii Chapter Conference
in Ventura, CA, this past weekend was “I will.”
Pulling in to the Crowne Plaza...
in cars loaded with
surfboards, wetsuits, and beach gear, Surfrider members were ready to catch
some waves at Surfer’s Point…
share the stoke in get-togethers, meetings and workshops…
and listen to keynote speaker Shaun Tomson.
Champion surfer and environmentalist Tomson, who wrote
the book, The Surfer’s Code – 12
Simple Lessons for Riding through Life*, was eager to share the life lessons
he’s learned from surfing.
Underlying each lesson is the importance of commitment – saying “I will” when
it comes to accomplishing a goal or overcoming a challenge.
Tomson, who has ridden some of the world’s biggest waves,
told a story about surfing on Mauritius, an island off the coast of South
Africa, early one morning with one of his “mates.” They were “riding in the
tube when the sun was red and the water looked like it was boiling.”
I
t was one of those epic surfing days of pure joy with
the two of them “exchanging wave after wave…and there was absolute silence
inside the tube.”
Sharing the stoke, Tomson asked, “What is this place?” “It’s One Eye Wave
Break,” his friend replied. “That’s because it looks like a human eye.”
Later, walking up the beach, a fisherman stopped Tomson
and said, with alarm, “You weren’t surfing
that, were you? Do you know what it’s called?” Then the fisherman told his
version of how One Eye Wave Break got its name: “There’s a Zambesi shark out
there. And, when he’s ready to strike, you only see one eye.”
The life lesson
here, said Tomson, is: Everything is a
matter of perspective. How we see things makes a difference in the
commitments we make. Are we guided by joy or fear? Do we say “I will” or I
won’t?”
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel could
feel the energy in the hotel’s Top of the Harbor room as everyone talked about
making an even stronger commitment to achieving the Surfrider Foundation’s
mission of protecting the world’s oceans, waves, and beaches.
Started 30 years ago with just a handful of surfers in
Malibu, the Surfrider Foundation is now a worldwide organization with over
250,000 supporters, volunteers, and activists.
Glenn
Hening, one of Surfrider’s three founders, was on hand to share
stories about the early days and how they made a commitment to save the beach.
Little did anyone know the impact that commitment would have in the years to
come.
To mark the occasion, Aipa Surf created a custom “30-year anniversary” surfboard that was
presented at the conference.
The focus of the California/Hawaii Conference was on ways
to build membership and strengthen advocacy programs.
Pete
Stauffer, Ocean Program Manager, emphasized the need to “protect
special places” from offshore drilling and other threats. “What’s your special
place?” he asked, sharing his own – a secluded beach in Oregon.
Kawela Bay, on Oahu’s North Shore, is a special place
that was saved, said Surfrider’s Hawaii Regional Manager and conference
co-coordinator Stuart Coleman. With
the bay threatened by local development, Surfrider “worked on both political
and economic fronts” to ensure that land was set aside and could never be
developed.
To achieve Surfrider’s goals, Stephanie Sekich, California Policy Manager, said “long-term
planning is the key,” noting that Surfer’s Point, just outside the conference
hotel, is an example of how you can preserve and protect a coastline.
Lauren
Campbell, Ximena
Waissbluth, and Tony Soriano
told everyone that the recently-formed Chapter Advisory Council will help to
further strengthen Surfrider’s organization. Creating a vital link between
chapter activists and management, it facilitates interaction and feedback.
Ed
Mazzarella, Director of Chapters, agreed that it’s necessary to all
work together – “activists, staff and board – to have a shared clarity and
vision.”
New Members Director Nancy
Eiring said new database technology will enable the organization to better
“retain new members and keep them involved.” Having supporters who are
passionate about the environment is critical.
Chad
Nelsen, Environmental Manager, advised, “We need to be both
reactive and proactive.” This includes everything from doing beach cleanups to
educating the public and lobbying for state and federal legislation.
People need to know that 80% of California’s coastline is
eroding. Since 1901 there’s been a 7-inch increase in the sea level.
During lunch and the afternoon breakout sessions everyone
was discussing strategy.
Angela
Howe,
Legal Director, summarized the legislative accomplishments that have been made,
including efforts to ban polystyrene and Manhattan Beach’s Smoke Free in Public
Places law.
Paul
Herzog, Ocean Friendly Gardens Director, reminded everyone that
“urban runoff is the number one source of ocean pollution.”
Related to this, Senior Staff Scientist Rick Wilson described what Surfrider’s
Blue Water Task Force is doing to monitor water quality and keep the public
informed about pollution issues.
Throughout the conference, co-coordinators Stuart Coleman, Nancy Hastings and Sarah Damron kept the proceedings going and everyone on track.
And Shaun Tomson had one more story and life lesson to
share…about his personal special place near Santa Barbara – Hammonds Reef –
located near the mythical Rainbow Bridge
of Chumash Indian lore.
Said to have been created 13,000 years ago by the Earth
Mother Hutash, the bridge was made from a rainbow to enable the people on the
islands to move to the mainland. But, some of the people looked down when they
were crossing it and fell into the sea. To keep them from drowning, Hutash
turned them into dolphins.
One day Tomson took his nine-year-old son Matthew to the reef to feel the
sacredness of the spot. They ended up talking all afternoon. Matthew drew a
circle in the sand to mark the sacred spot and they passed a stick back and
forth as they each told stories.
They left the stick planted in the sand, but
Matthew took a stone with him that he said contained the spirits of all who had
been there and the stories. Now that stone is in the front entry of Tomson’s
home.
The life lesson
here is: The importance of connectedness.
We all need to connect – with each other, the earth and the past – and share
the stories that define us and embody what we hope to achieve.
This is something that Surfrider Foundation supporters
do, working together to shape its environmental message and communicate it to
others. In essence, sharing stories.
SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti agreed that Ventura,
which means “good fortune,” was the perfect spot for the 2014 conference.
With its beautiful beaches and friendly people, it was a
special place for everyone to connect and recommit ourselves to Surfrider’s
mission, saying, “I will.”
*Shaun
Tomson's Surfer’s Code
- I will never turn back on the ocean
- I will always paddle back out
- I will take the drop with commitment
- I will know that there will always be another wave
- I will realize that all surfers are joined by one ocean
- I will paddle around the impact zone
- I will never fight a rip tide
- I will watch out for other surfers after a big set
- I will pass on my stoke to a non-surfer
- I will ride, and not paddle in to shore
- I will catch a wave every day, even in my mind
- I will honor the sport of kings
Thanks
to Gina Maslach, Norma and Alex Sellers, and Tony and Alex Soriano for their
photo contributions.
Look
for a future SurfWriter Girls story about Ventura and the fun things you can do
on a day-trip or weekend getaway.
Please post your comment below.
Comments will appear the next day.
Sunny
Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted
material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com
Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites
as long as credit is given.
