One of the jewels in the Carribeans crown is under threat.
A Marriot development on Rocky Point and ‘Back Bay’ Tobago are threatening the environment and the classic surf spot of Mount Irvine.
A formal NGO called the Rocky Point Foundation, has been set up to fight the plans for large development by Marriot, and to proposal for the Rocky Point Heritage Park & Nature Reserve formally and legitimately.
The bay holds a classic surf spot, but here are other pressing environmental concerns.
“The RPF is in full agreement that Tobago needs a brand such as Marriot and commends the developers for garnering their interest, however, for the environmental, archeological & heritage reasons outlined on our website (www.saverockypoint.com the RPF believes that the lands at Rocky Point are not suited to this type of development, and the development could ironically destroy the same unique beauty, that made the site attractive for the development in the first place.
” 1. Environmental Concerns
” 1.1 Turtle Nesting: Back Bay is a sea turtle nesting site for Environmental Sensitive Species (ESS) such as Leather Back & Hawksbill turtles; both of which are listed on the ICUN’s Red List of Threatened Species as ‘Vulnerable’ and ‘Critically
” 1.2 Back Bay Beach and Back Shore Vegetation: The ‘Back Shore’ is the area of coastline beyond the reaches of the regular tides and is stable enough to support vegetation; this vegetation, including large trees along the shore as well as the cliffs and slopes up from the beach, play a critically important role in stabilizing the sand on the beach and mitigating the energy of waves and currents that affect the shoreline. The waves during northern hemisphere winters often run up the beach all the way to the cliffs. If this vegetation is removed, it is highly probable that the coast will lose its sand altogether, permanently.
” 1.3 Mt. Irvine Beach and coastline: The shoreline in this area is receding significantly; however, the rate of recession is presently being slowed by the vegetation north of the beach facility, so any removal of this vegetation will also remove the natural protection to the ongoing erosion. This particular coastline is quite unique, in that it has an extensive ‘near shore’ reef system which is the only other natural defense against erosion. In this ‘near shore’ reef the system physically disrupts the wave energy that attacks this coastline, however, the reef system is also presently under pressure from the pollution of the reef by the non-functioning sewage treatment plant thus hampering the reef from flourishing. Any removal of the vegetation on the bluff and point overlooking the reef will significantly increase the runoff from the land, which will likely inundate the already pressured reef system, with soil and dirt contaminants that can stifle the system.
” 1.4 Manchineel Vegetation: Both the Back Bay and Mt. Irvine coastlines have significant Manchineel trees as well as other salt and dry tolerant vegetative species. This natural ecosystem has defined the physical environment for centuries. Removal, alteration, and/or replacement of these species could alter the physical environment such that the coastline could be more susceptible to erosion. The alteration of groundwater flows could affect the marine environment, especially the coral and reef structure of the surrounding near-shore area.”
23-year-old Ibra Samb is from Ngor village in Dakar, Senegal where he started surfing at 10, taking inspiration from Oumar Seye, first black Senegalese surfer to get a pro contract.
“Surfing in Senegal has evolved a lot the past few years with a new fast-improving generation and easier access to surf gear. My main motivation is to push my limits together with this new gen of surfers and try to qualify for the world tour.” – Ibra Samb
There's probably more chance of the likes of your average surfer hitting the local swimming pool, than hacking into the GOATS golden wave pool. But you've gotta have hope right, in the meantime take a look at the social media master Jamie O'Brien digging in at The Ranch.
Desert Point – one of the best waves in Indonesia. NVR convinces the boys at Island brewing for a quick strike mission on their speed boat to chase a day swell together with Mattia Morrie, legendary Ozzie Wrght, William Allioti and Friends.
Good Waves, Good Vibes , Good Beer. Thats what life is all about!
It was another perfect morning in Kuda Huraa when the horn blew for Finals Day at the 2022 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy. A crystal-clear Indian Ocean played host to dreamy two-to-four-foot Sultans, as our competitors prepared to compete in the final surfing discipline of the event, the Thruster Division.
11x World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) started the day dominantly, taking a win over Rob Machado (USA) and Taylor Knox (USA) in Round One. Slater then went on to match up against local wildcard and multiple Maldives Surfing Champion Hussain “Iboo” Areef (MDV) in the first Semifinal, and excitement in the channel was palpable. Maldivian flags flew from nearby boats, hoping for a local win, and Slater fans were cheering from their sundecks as the two surfers battled it out at Sultans. In the end it was Slater who advanced, taking the win from Iboo and advancing to the Final Round.
Iboo ripping and repping for the ‘Dives.
“I am very honoured and very happy to have surfed these past few days,” said Iboo. “These guys are legends, they are the people I watched when I was learning to surf. They had a big impact on my surfing career. That last heat with Kelly was probably the best heat of my life. I never thought in my dreams that I would be surfing against him, man-on-man. He’s hard to beat, he’s the best in the world! I don’t think I’ll get to see anyone else like him in my lifetime, so this has been an amazing opportunity.”
Slater then went on to compete against Rob Machado (USA) in the Thruster Division Final, where he scored a 9.33, the highest wave score of the event, in the dying minutes of the heat. This solidified his second victory of the event, making him not only the Single-Fin Winner but now also the Thruster Champion.
“This whole event has been so fun, it’s been really relaxed with the guys,” said Slater. “To have this crew together has been really enjoyable, and Iboo has been a great addition. I’ve never met him before, but he’s had a smile on his face the whole time – it was so nice to get to know him and surf with him. He said he was really stoked to surf a heat with me today, and I was really happy to surf with him too. He’s just a really good dude.
“All of the local crew that showed up on the boats seemed like they were having a great time, too – they were hundreds of yards from us, but we could hear them yelling the whole time. There has been such a good vibe here.”
Following the Thruster Division Final, the two surfers with the most points accumulated throughout the event were set to surf in the Grand Final – Slater and Shane Dorian (HAW). The two have been going head-to-head throughout the event, Dorian with two-out-of-three heat wins against Slater.
With inconsistent sets rolling through the lineup at Sultans, conditions were tricky for Finalists. Dorian found himself in a combination situation for much of the heat, and although he was able to throw down a strong score of 8.7 in the final minutes, he wasn’t able to find that backup score to take the win. Slater, however, found himself in rhythm with the ocean and won the Grand Final with high scores of an 8.23 and an 8.73.
“The Final was really fun,” said Slater. “Shane has been the really in-sync guy with the waves throughout this event, but in the Final I kind of took that from him. I think he caught one of the best waves of the heat (8.7) but the wave came too late, and there were only a few minutes left when he got back out to the lineup. We’re even now though, it worked out perfectly.”
The 2022 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy is a luxury surfing event like no other, and the iconic lineup of Momentum Generation surfers (Kelly Slater, Taylor Knox, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian and Ross Williams), along with local wildcard Hussain “Iboo” Areef, has made this year one for the history books.
Thruster Division Results:
Kelly Slater (USA) – 1st
Rob Machado (USA) – 2nd
Shane Dorian (USA) – 3rd
Hussain “Iboo” Areef (MDV) – 3rd
Ross Williams (USA) – 5th
Taylor Knox (USA) – 5th
