Although it was a strange year in someways (political mishaps, natural disasters, wavepool madness, and social upheaval galore) a lot of positive advancements also surfaced from within the surf industry in 2017. As we push forward into 2018 it’s worth reflecting on a few solid efforts from last year to draw inspiration from. Here’s a short list of some of last year’s highlights:

 

1. Punta De Lobos

Patagonia and Save The Waves set an example of how to get creative and make a real impact. Proceeds from Patagonia’s patented big wave inflatable vest technology went a long way towards preserving the area around Punta De Lobos. Throw in further contribution and an official designation status by Save The Waves and you have a formula for how to fortify a surf based ecosystem. Read more below –

Punta De Lobos Locked In As Official World Surfing Reserve

 

2. Surfboard Drive For South Africa

Positive Vibe Warriors doubled down on a previously successful surfboard drive for Jamaica to generate equipment for youth in South Africa. Dubbed Can’t Steal Our Vibe their second surfboard drive was flooded with support from surfers throughout California –

Surfboard Drive For South Africa

 

3. Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch Hurricane Relief

There’s no question wavepools were a huge focus of attention in 2017, with the Kelly Slater Wave Company at the center of it all. What better way is there to make use of attention than to funnel it towards a positive cause? A lottery to surf perfect machine made waves that also generates resources for victims of hurricanes is massively respectable –

Surf Kelly’s Surf Ranch – Fund Hurricane Relief

 

4. Surfaid Cup

A multifaceted series of contests run by Surfaid presented another progressive approach to surf based altruism. Surfaid activated the surf community by challenging them to create a competitive team, raise money for the cause, and participate in a day of surf competition supported by local professional surfers –

Surfaid Cup Malibu – Raise Money And Compete

 

5. John John Florence’s Ocean Health Challenge

John John Florence’s second world title victory run was phenomenal to witness. While nobody will question his skill level, he seemingly handled the pressure the entire year as if he were strolling through the park. Along the way he also made it easy for ocean health advocates to respect him outside of the competitive arena by throwing down challenges like the following one –

John John Florence’s Ocean Health Challenge

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image from NASA via Wikicommons