On Sunday, two days after the final of the Moche Rip Curl Pro, Alessandro Dotti was at Supertubos filming with his friend Carlo Pilotti when Kelly Slater and Tiago Pires showed up. This was the session that went down just before dark.
One of our favourite surfers of the moment scores long pits and fun ramps in Indo
Owen’s not afraid of throwing himself over a ledge to score some epic grinding tubes. Check him out in his element, ripping at home on the south coast.
Bit of Searchy bonus…
Photo Mitch Corbert
“We’ve been big fans of Fergal’s for as long as we can remember.’ said Matt Smith “His commitment to chasing waves of consequence has been a huge inspiration to us all, coupled with his attitude and approach to life. We recently spent a few days with Fergal in Ireland and it reinforced that his values are a direct reflection of those of Finisterre – a commitment to cold water surfing, a responsibility to do more to protect our environment, and a dedication to building relationships with the people and communities that matter.”
The partnership between Finisterre and Fergal will include an offering of insulation jackets for the Moy Hill Community Garden that has been a project of passion for Fergal and a few close friends. From this original project Fergal has made a commitment to growing food to support himself and the community around him, and has made it his mission to educate others about the importance of sustainable farming and agroecology. He also happens to be surfing better than ever. Fergal is one of the best barrel and big wave riders to have been born on European shores, he was part of a tight team of surfers that first surfed the mind bending waves Ireland is now famous for.
The newly launched Finisterre Nieuwland 5 wetsuit will be keeping Fergal warm in the line up this winter, designed with durability and warmth at the heart of the product development.
Fergal joins the close family of riders that includes, Noah Lane, Matt smith, and Easkey Britton.
Tom Kay Founder of Finisterre said
“Fergal is a true inspiration in so many ways, the way he lives his life, the way he surfs, and his outlook on life. We are really excited to have him as part of our extended family and will be unbelievably proud to see him in our new wetsuit chasing some of Irelands waves this winter”
CSO’s are a massive problem. The water companies and EA won’t address it, so it is time to fight. Follow the instructions below to petition the Secretary of State for the Environment, then share this post.
Surfers Against Sewage is calling on all beach lovers to lobby the Secretary of State for the Environment to call for an end to sewer overflow discharges at popular beaches and ensure water quality is tested to protect those most at risk.
The Safer Seas App continues to expose the failings in both the sewerage system, and the loopholes being used to hide the true impacts of sewage pollution. During the 2015 bathing season (May- Sept), 95% of UK beaches met the minimum EU water quality standard, yet the Safer Seas Service warned users of 3,045 pollution incidents from sewer overflow discharges and runoff from farmland and urban environments.
There were 926 discharges of untreated human sewage at English beaches covered by the Safer Seas Service. Only 105* of these sewage spills were monitored by the weekly Environment Agency water quality testing regime. This leaves a disturbing 89% of the untreated sewage discharges unchecked and outside of the legal framework designed to protect surfers, bathers, water users and coastal communities.
Further more, 41** beaches across England (16), Wales (11) and Scotland (14) where SAS believe the sampling spot is placed in an area that avoids the most polluted, yet popular areas on the beach. The results at these beaches could be misleading communities and the vital opportunity to implement any necessary improvements could be withheld.
Surfers Against Sewage has written to the Prime Minister after he and his family were reportedly caught out, unwittingly using the sea during a sewage pollution event this summer at Polzeath. Surfers Against Sewage is calling for:
· bathing water quality to be tested at the appropriate time and in the appropriate place, thus protecting the bathers, surfers and water users most at risk.
·
Water company to introduce more effective and faster investment to remove current sewer overflow assets with priority awarded to sensitive areas such as bathing waters, recreational watersports zones and Sites of Special Surfing Interest.
· Mandatory year-round sewer overflow warnings for all affected UK beaches regularly used by the public to protect public heath where the current water-quality testing regime fails to do so.
· A strict, legally binding limit of 3 sewer overflow discharges per season, per sewer overflow asset. Discharges should only be acceptable in extreme weather events.
· A ban on water companies installing all new sewer overflow assets directly impacting areas of the coastline important for public recreation or environmentally sensitive areas.
To get behind he campaign surfers should to write to Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for the Environment, to support calls to adopt these urgent measures to better protect the environment and the people that use it.
Step 1
Copy this letter to the Secretary of State for the Environment
Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Truss
Secretary of State for the Environment
Defra
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
Dear Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for the Environment,
STOP SEWAGE POLLUTING OUR BEACHES
I hope you would agree that the UK has one of the most beautiful and diverse coastlines in the world and worthy of protecting.
Yet, during the 2015 bathing season (May 15th – Sept 30th) the Safer Seas Service warned beach users of a shocking 3, 045 pollution incidents, across the 326 of the country’s best beaches. The current water quality testing programme includes significant loopholes meaning that it both fails to pick up the current scale of sewage and diffuse pollution at our beaches. This bathing season a mere 11% of the sewage discharges across England could have potentially been identified by the Environment Agency’s water quality testing. More worryingly, the current system doesn’t adequately safeguard the health of the rapidly growing number of people using our seas for recreation and relaxation year-round.
The Safer Seas Service is a vital public heath protection service, which warns the public, for free and in real-time when many of our fantastic beaches are polluted by untreated sewage effluent and diffuse pollution. These real-time Safer Seas Service warnings allow people to protect themselves from potentially harmful water-borne pollution, directing them towards safer and more appropriate beaches to enjoy.
Whilst the Safer Seas Service is an effective tool in allowing water users to make the most informed decision about how, when and where they use the sea, it’s not a solution to address the underlying causes of these all too frequent sewage pollution incidents.
Together with Surfers Against Sewage, I call on you to intervene on the issue of sewer overflow pollution, which is a significant concern amongst SAS members nationwide, the country’s estimated 600,000 recreational surfers, thousands of coastal businesses, and the millions of holidaymakers that should be able to enjoy our beaches and oceans without the risk of coming into contact with raw sewage. We are calling for more urgent action to address on-going sewage pollution at our beaches including:
A review of how the UK implements the Bathing Water Directive, ensuring bathing water quality is tested at the appropriate time and in the appropriate place, thus protecting the bathers, surfers and water users most at risk.
Increasing water company obligations to introduce more effective and faster investment to remove current sewer overflow assets with priority awarded to sensitive areas such as bathing waters, recreational watersports zones and Sites of Special Surfing Interest.
Mandatory year-round sewer overflow warnings introduced for all affected UK beaches regularly used by the public to protect public heath where the current water quality-testing regime fails to.
A strict, legally binding limit of 3 sewer overflow discharges per season, per sewer overflow asset. Discharges should only be acceptable in extreme weather events.
A ban on water companies installing all new sewer overflow assets directly impacting areas of the coastline important for public recreation or other environmentally sensitive areas.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
INSERT NAME, Surfers Against Sewage Supporter
Step 2
Add your name and address to the letter where stated.
Step 3
Attach the letter to an email to [email protected] or post to the address featured on the letter.
Perched between The Kalahari and the cold waters of the Southern Atlantic, Namibia is a land with unlimited potential. A wild territory, almost empty of humanity, where the dunes’ wind meets with Antarctic currents and form a dark microcosm, an old ships graveyard… paradise for new surfers ! « On the road, it’s best is to get lost. When you lose your way, projects give way to surprises, and then, but only then, the travel begins » (Nicolas BOUVIER)
