International Surfing Day

International Surfing Day, held annually on the third Saturday of June is an unofficial, environmentally conscious[1] sports-centered holiday that celebrates the sport of surfing, surfing lifestyle, and the sustainability of ocean resources.[2][3] Contests and prizes[4] are also part of the celebration, with surfing-related industries donating prizes such as surfboards and wetsuits.[1] Another purpose of the celebration is to promote the popularity of surfing and to attract new participants.[5]

History

A Naupaka plant

International Surfing Day was established in 2005 by Surfing Magazine[6][7] and The Surfrider Foundation.[6][7] International Surfing Day closely follows the spirit and intent of the World Surf Day, established by the Usenet newsgroup alt.surfing in 1993.[8] International Surfing Day is a worldwide[9] celebration of the sport of surfing. The day is observed with surf contests,[7] barbecues,[10] film screenings[1] and other surf-related activities. Surfers also use the day to give back to the environment by organizing beach clean-ups,[6][7][11][12][13][14] dune and other habitat restoration[10] and other activities[3] such as lobbying to maintain the recreation areas in California where surfing occurs, or planting Naupaka (a flowering coastal plant) in Hawaii.[15][16]

Direct action was used by form of protest on this day in England to express opposition to sewage in the waters of the Gold Coast; a precarious problem for many surfers who become infected by the bacteria from open wounds from sports-related injuries.[17]

Extent of celebrations

International Surf Day events have been held on all populated continents including South America where it is celebrated in Argentina,[9] Brazil,[18] and Peru.[18] Also in the Southern Hemisphere the holiday is observed in the Oceanian nations of Australia[19] and New Zealand.[18] The day is also widely observed in the American state of Hawaii, also in Oceania.[3][14]

In North America the surfing day is most widely observed and celebrations may be found in Canada,[18] Costa Rica,[18] the French Antilles,[18] El Salvador,[20] Mexico,[21] and in the majority of coastal states of the United States: California,[4][15] Connecticut,[18] District of Columbia,[18] Florida,[13][22] Georgia,[23] Maine,[18] Maryland,[18] New Jersey,[6][11][24] New York,[18] North Carolina,[18] Oregon,[10] South Carolina,[25] Texas,[18] and Virginia.[18] After North America the observance has the most popularity in Europe: including in most of the coastal European Union and it is held by surf enthusiasts in France,[5][18] Italy,[5] the United Kingdom,[17][18] Portugal,[5] Spain,[5] and Belgium.[18] Further European celebrations are held in Norway,[5] in addition to many of the EU nations overseas possessions.

In Africa, the two French territories of Réunion and Mayotte[5] hold annual festivities alongside Morocco,[5] Ghana, the Spanish insular area of the Canary Islands[5] and South Africa. The day has also taken hold in some other countries such as Israel,[5] Japan,[18] and South Korea.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 International Surfing Day Gets Challenging, Surfline, Press Release, June 16, 2008, access date June 26, 2008
  2. ↑ The Third Annual International Surfing Day is back Friday June 20th, by Nicole DeJesus, access date June 27, 2008
  3. 1 2 3 International Surfing Day Clean Up Set for June 21, By Jenna Ishii, September 6, 2008, Hawaii Reporter, access date June 27, 2008
  4. 1 2 International Surfing Day announces challenges & prizes, SurfersVillage, June 16, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (in English) & (in French)Surfing Day celebrated on beaches throughout Europe/UNE VAGUE SANS FRONTIERES !, June 25, 2008, Surfers Village, access date June 30, 2008
  6. 1 2 3 4 O.C., A.C. celebrate surfing 'holiday' today by Jon Coen, For The Press/PressOfAtalnticCity.com, June 20, 2008, access date June 25, 2008
  7. 1 2 3 4 International Surfing Day Gets Challenging, June 16, 2008, access date June 25, 2008
  8. ↑
  9. 1 2 (in Spanish)Conciencia ecológica en el Día Mundial del Surf, La Capital (newspaper), access date June 27, 2008
  10. 1 2 3 On The Sidelines, Newport News Times, June 20, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  11. 1 2 projects focus of Surf Day petition, by Sarah Webster, APP.com, June 22, 2008, access date June 25, 2008
  12. ↑ Surfers have global mission, SeaCoastOnline, access date June 22, 2008
  13. 1 2 Lake Worth: International Surfing Day to be marked at city beach, June 16, 2008, Lake Worth Sun-Sentinel, access date June 26, 2008
  14. 1 2 Harbor gets a Surfing Day cleanup, by Rachale Gehrlein, June 25, 2008, access date June 26, 2008
  15. 1 2 Surf's up by Jen Ingan, New Times, Strokes and Plugs, June 19, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  16. ↑ Surfrider Foundation hosts Hookipa cleanup, The Maui News, June 18, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  17. 1 2 SAS celebrate International Surfing Day at the Gold Coast Festival, June 20, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
  19. ↑ News International Surfing Day by Richard Hardy, June 19, 2008, Drift Surf Magazine, access date June 26, 2008
  20. ↑ El Salvador Takes International Surfing Day To New Heights, by Emilia Estrada, Surfing Magazine, access date June 27, 2008
  21. ↑ (in Spanish)El viernes 20 de Junio se celebra el Día Internacional del Surf 2008, by Carlos Cohen, Surfeando, June 18, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  22. ↑ Justin Beard: Board Meeting, by Justin Beard, June 19, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
  23. ↑ ESA Georgia Surf Contest This Weekend, TransWorldSurf, June 24, 2008, access date June 25, 2008
  24. ↑ Brick Beach III to hold International Surf Day, Brick Township Bulletin, access date June 26, 2008
  25. ↑ International Surfing Day on Friday – Summer of Surf Celebration This Weekend on Folly Beach, Moultrie News, June 18, 2008, access date June 27, 2008
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