Local surfing enthusiasts and community members have taken initiatives to negotiate rural preservation and urban expansion in hopes of protecting pristine shorelines.
Patagonia Haleiwa held an event on Dec. 4 at the Pikake Pavilion in Waimea Valley to raise awareness for these matters. Chilean big wave surfer Ramón Navarro was invited to speak, answer questions, and sign copies of “The Fisherman’s Son,” a biography published by Patagonia about Navarro’s life and his environmental activism.
Representatives from Save the Waves Coalition, a non-profit organization, were present, as were local Patagonia employees. Both Save the Waves and Patagonia have supported Navarro in his efforts to protect the surf break near his hometown of Pichilemu, called “Punta de Lobos,” preventing it from becoming the property of a planned hotel.
Through fundraising efforts, peaceful protests, and the hashtag “#LobosPorSiempre,” the 23 acres of coastal land surrounding Punta de Lobos break was purchased and therefore protected from public development.
Navarro said he was inspired by how Hawaii keeps all of their beaches public. He would like for this to be the case in Chile, so private buyers cannot prohibit public access to the ocean.
Navarro’s status as a pro surfer grants him a great advantage as an environmental activist. He explained, “I’m trying to… make public all the things happening in Chile so that people can finally understand how important it is to take care of the coastline.”
Cameron Tidwell, a senior majoring in international cultural studies from Arizona, said, “Being in any kind of nature helps you be aware of the environment in a greater way. Surfing is one of the many ways I feel… has helped me just to observe, and,… be a part of the environment, and see what an important role it plays.
"It makes you realize that there’s a lot of life that depends on the environment, and that’s what is creating these fun waves for me to surf.”
Hawaiians refer to this affection for the ocean with the phrase, "malama kai." Malama is a profound word, meaning “to care for, to preserve, to protect, or to maintain.”
Kai means “sea.” To “malama kai” is to maintain environmental balance by preventing pollution and harvesting marine resources in a sustainable way. It is this feeling of malama driving surfers to “keep the country, country.”
According to many local surfers, it protects the waves they treasure from contamination, privatization, and over-crowding.
Gavin Comstock, the operations and program manager for Save the Waves Coalition, said, “[Our] vision is…of a world where surf resources are valued, and they’re considered in planning so that development doesn’t become a threat to the coast.”
This vision can be accomplished as communities become more conscientious of how development affects the planet, according to Comstock. In one of his recent “Pacific Ponderings” entitled “Kuleana for Campus and Community,”
BYU-Hawaii President John Tanner advised, “Let us love and take good care of our little piece of paradise by practicing kuleana here.” The event was free and open to the public.
Attendees were mostly from the North Shore community. Some Chileans were also present in support of their compatriot, Navarro. To learn more about Ramón Navarro’s surfing and environmental activism, visit www.patagonia.com to watch the documentary “The Fisherman’s Son.” This documentary is also available on YouTube.