“The SolarCycle Diaries is what happens if you wake up one day and decide to cycle round the world  – then make things more complicated by going through the Sahara. I’m not going to lie to you, it was pretty epic: sandstorms, heatstroke and a lot of men with guns. It’s February – get transported somewhere 50 degrees hotter.”  Susie Wheeldon.

‘Quiksilver discovers Susie Wheeldon’ is part of the latest Quiksilver project to promote and support inspiring and creative artists, writers, musicians, campaigners, and adventurers achieve their dreams.

“If you’ve met Susie you’ll be familiar with her incredible amount of enthusiasm (about anything), loud contagious laughter, and very creative ideas for simple things such as buying a pint of milk to the more challenging and obscure such as solar cycling in the Sahara.  As a writer, adventurer, lead singer of a rock metal band, and solar energy advocate, she inspires people to achieve their dreams by believing that nothing is impossible and that everything is obtainable.  She is exactly what ‘Quiksilver discovers’ is about.’ Meena Rajput, Quiksilver Marketing Manager

Quiksilver is really pleased to be working alongside Susie Wheeldon and SolarAid by supporting the launch of The SolarCycle Diaries.  SolarAid exists to confront humanity’s greatest challenges – climate change and poverty – by harnessing humanity’s greatest resource, the extraordinary power of the sun.

All proceeds of The SolarCycle Diaries will go to SolarAid.  Go to  www.solar-aid.org / www.videos.solar-aid.org to learn more.

THE SOLARCYCLE DIARIES, by Susie Wheeldon

“So, um, tell me again why we’re pedalling through the Sahara in June…”
In 2010 Susie Wheeldon and Jamie Vining rolled back into London complete with stings, bites, leathery skin and thighs of steel. With their co-rider, Iain Henderson, they had set out nine months earlier on a 12,000 mile round the world bike ride, promoting solar power and being tracked using solar nanotechnology.

Only, as Google maps and your thumb are not the most precise tools with which to plan a global circumnavigation, they had instead ridden 13,500 miles across North Africa, past the Himalayas and through some of the Earth’s more pungent road kill. Braving blizzards, tackling thunderstorms and getting blown off the road, they had been chased by dogs, attacked by killer bees and rerouted by the bubonic plague.

Their quest to promote all things solar had seen them followed by the police, accosted by goat herders and giving a talk – from a dog kennel – somewhere in the Deep South of America.

From the painful to the bizarre, this in an account of their journey through France, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and the USA.

It was one hell of a ride.”

Go to www.quiksilver-women.com to learn more about our brand and our inspiring ambassadors.

“It’s all about confidence,” my friend said to me, as I sat looking at the waves roll past me, legs dangling into the clear water below my foamy. “Don’t hesitate, keep your toes together, weight back, and paddle, paddle, paddle.” As a native Londoner, this was my first surf trip abroad. Teenage summers had involved day trips to Cornwall, whilst my family waited patiently on the beach for me to have my fill of picking up white water waves. Needless to say, two days a year does not a professional make. When I saw a surf trip to Morocco advertised with my university surf club, I jumped at the chance to spend a week in the water. Come January, and I was saying goodbye to the grey English skies, in pursuit of my first proper wave.

Surf Berbere was the destination of choice, located in the small surf town of Taghazout, a few kilometers up the Atlantic coast from Agadir. It is probably the only town in the world that has a surf shop attached to the local mosque. Apart from surfers milling around with their boards and tousled hair, it’s populated by market sellers and goatherds, dressed in local gowns called djellaba, making everyone look oddly like Obi Wan Kenobi.

The Moroccan coast has a range of breaks, from the world famous Anka Point to the much tamer sand bar at Crocodiles. For many though, the chance of catching waves in 22°c sunshine in the middle of January, just three and a half hours from the UK, is more than enough motivation to pay a visit to North Africa.

Surf Berbere itself is made up of a mish-mash of apartments, set right on the waterfront, overlooking the azure ocean. Climb the steep steps to the top of the camp and you’ll find a rooftop terrace, where a three-course dinner is served every night under the multi-coloured Moroccan tent, cooked on the open barbeque or in tagine pots, balanced on the alcohol-free bar. Morocco is a dry country, but this doesn’t mean nighttime entertainment is limited to playing Scrabble and singing along to the guitar. Beer-runs to Agadir happen every few days; you just need to place your order in advance. Parties on the rooftop are never a quiet affair, with the surf camp organisers and Moroccan guides joining in with the reveling until the early hours of the morning.

Breakfast is held on the café terrace, where you can bask in the morning sun with a cup of Moroccan mint tea and fill your boots with fresh baguettes covered in Nutella, boiled eggs and fruit before bundling into the vans with your surfboard, leash and wetsuit for a day at the beach.

For beginners, Crocodiles is a dream. Just ten minutes south of Surf Berbere, it is supposedly named after the crocodile shape of the headland. Low tide creates long stretches of white water that roll towards the shore, easing those who are still finding their feet up onto their first wave. The accommodating Moroccan surf guides are always there to give you a few tips, in case you’ve forgotten which foot you pop up on. If, like me, you’ve had those initial lessons and are looking to charge something a little bigger, Crocs is an easy break to paddle out on and await your first real wave.

Forty minutes north of the camp, you will find another rougher sand bar break, Tamri, suitable for the more experienced surfers. Being an oblivious rookie, I managed to paddle out back, pleased that my arm muscles had withstood me so far, only for a big set to come through and dump its load on me. If you are heading out back, make sure you’ve got the confidence to get up, otherwise you’ll emerge from the surf with your head feeling like a saltwater washing machine to the sound of slow claps coming from your pals on the shore.

If you fancy some relaxation post-surf, then try one of the yoga sessions Surf Berbere has to offer. For just 80 DH (£6) for an hour’s class, you’ll find yourself in a glass-walled studio perched on a cliff edge, the instructor silhouetted against the setting sun as you sit cross-legged in half-lotus. It could not be a more perfect location for a yoga class.

Sometimes even the most enthusiastic surfers need a day’s respite. Head up to Paradise Valley, a mountainous region in the Moroccan hills, described by the guide as “like Jurassic Park but without the dinosaurs”, where you can clamber across sandy rock faces and dive into cool freshwater pools.

Visiting Taghazout is not just about broadening your horizons and visiting a new culture, it’s a chance to get your first taste of the surf lifestyle and escape the January blues for a very reasonable price. Spend all day in the water, and come back with chipped nails, stubbed toes, red raw kneecaps, yet still wanting more. Ceilidh dance with Moroccans on the rooftop under the stars. Get up early, even when your muscles ache like you’ve run a marathon, throw on a t-shirt and bikini, and plunge into the salty water to wash away the morning’s hangover. This is one place where you don’t need a watch; days are dictated by the tide and the sun, rather than clocks and deadlines. After a week in the waves, you’ll never want to return.

One week’s stay at Surf Berbere costs £200 including all meals, accommodation, transport, surf and wetsuit hire. Flights from £150 – Easy Jet fly directly from London Gatwick to Agadir. For more information, visit the Surf Berbere Facebook Page

Tip: Make sure you get enough Moroccan dirham out before you arrive in Taghazout, as there is no ATM in town.

Combine a surf trip with a yoga, Pilates and wellbeing holiday on the sunny island of Fuerteventura. Azul Yoga and Pilates Retreat is an eco villa with a laidback and friendly vibe just 10 minutes from the beaches and surf of Corralejo.

Run by surfer and Pilates instructor Jamie Isaac and his wife Karissa, this holistic retreat has a team of international instructors offering a daily programme of yoga, Pilates, meditation and tai chi plus surf packages. Classes at the villa vary from relaxing hatha yoga and mediation to dynamic vinyasa flow and core strengthening Pilates. Classes are small (12 people max) so you?ll get plenty of personal attention in a relaxed atmosphere.

Classes are held in the mornings and evenings leaving you free to hit the surf during the day. Perfectly located between the north shore and the east coast, Azul is in a prime location for some of the best waves of the island.

Be sure to explore the island too: hire a bike, go for a volcano or coast walk, visit the Corralejo Dunes National Park, swim in the crystal clear lagoons at El Cotillo or take in some culture in the island’s old capital, Betancuria.

For surfers as with the other Canary Islands, Fuerte has a range of waves to suit all abilities, from learners’ spots like Glass Beach to the experienced riders-only tubes of Spew Pits near Cotillo.

Unwind after all this activity with a full body massage (included in the retreat package) or try some holistic therapies and some pampering in the spa.

Food is another essential part of the retreat experience. Brunches are leisurely and varied (fruit, cereals, home-baked bread, eggs, pancakes, cheese, salad…). Evening meals are planned and prepared by resident nutrition expert, Jo Dombernowsky. Jo creates inspiringly healthy and tasty food with Moroccan influences using fresh vegetables and herbs from the villa’s garden.

Azul runs special retreat weeks including nutrition and detox weeks, vinyasa flow courses and intensive Pilates weeks. This is a great way to have expert tuition in a beautiful location.

Visit  www.azulfit.com for more details.

Viva Lost Vegans!

As a special end to the trip the crew headed to Las Vegas to catch the Cirque du Soleil Beatles Love show, which was mindblowing.  However, it was equally devastasting to uncover that captive dolphins are held in The Mirage hotel in Sigfreid and Roy’s secret garden.

We made it our mission to stage a protest, and the sadness that hit me when leaving the strange city in the desert was nothing compared to what the dolphins must feel on a daily basis, day in day out, going round and round their tiny tank.  As surfers we can feel out of sorts if we don’t get wet for a while, but imagine being a dolphin and never experiencing the ocean, these marine mammals may well be born in captivity but they belong in the wild.

Captivity issues are something Women for Whales will be focussing on once our campaign for the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary finishes in July 2012.  Thankfully the UK banned dolphinariums in 1993 but almost 300 whales and dolphins are held captive in European dolphinarims and zoos still to this day.  And worldwide there are nearly 200 establishments, of which the US, Mexico and Japan are the biggest culprits with the largest number of captive facilities.  Take a look at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society for more information.

Wendy and I reunited in the jungle

Out of Vegas I took a one way ticket to Central America, where I would be spending the next 6 months in preparation for the International Whale Celebration #2.  Sincerely grateful to glimpse the ocean again, I was looking for warm water, challenging breaks and environmental projects and knew Costa Rica would be the place to start.  On arrival I was completely spoilt by my friend Nancy of Rica Surf, who took me surfing with her extensive local knowledge, introduced me to the local cuisine (gallo-pinto) and led me to some amazing waterfalls.  From there I headed onto Santa Teresa to be reunited with Wendy, who I used to team up with to run Roxy Girls Weeks in Morocco.  I settled into life here in Mal Pais, and have been teaching yoga, surfing my new Bing board, enjoying the nature overflowing all around and moving forward with the Women for Whales initiative (painting murals, visiting schools and holding events).

Tropico Latino's beautiful yoga shala

Wendy and I are excited to announce that we will be teaching retreats together at Tropico Latino featuring yoga, surfing and adventures in this magical place.  We can’t wait to share the amazing lifestyle, waves, surroundings and food the Nicoya Penninsular has to offer, we believe this to be the perfect setting for healing, relaxing and rejuvenating.  Whether its taking your yoga practice to the next level, giving some time back to your self or taking a leap of faith into something new – this retreat is suitable for both beginners and practicing yogis alike!  The dates are:

• April 8-14 & April 14-20 2012
• May 6-12 & May 12-17 2012

Picture perfect beach on your doorstep

The retreats will focus primarily on Quantum Yoga™ where students will learn about their own individual mind-body type (dosha) according to the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda, accompanied by yoga sequences to balance their dosha.

This will be teamed with restorative sunset yoga, incredible organic food, surfing lessons and sessions, and all situated one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

If you have any inquiries, you can drop me an email at natalievfox@hotmail.com or for more info go to Wendys Yoga.  We hope to see lots of SurfGirls there!

Until then I’m packing my bag and heading off into the jungle for a meditation course, then following my heart to where the whales are in the Osa penninsular!  Stay warm ladies, and if you can’t face the surf then check out the flights to Costa Rica where it’s always HOT!  Pura Vida xx

SURF

G-day Mate!
Australia is the obvious place to get some water time in during our winter, with everything from world class points to fun beach breaks, there’s plenty of variety and surfing’s pretty much the national sport over there. Most Brit surfers head straight to the Goldie, but it’s a big country and if you want to find an empty peak then head out of town. North of the Gold Coast the mid coast is a bit more laid back and rural, in the west around Margret River it’s a bit wilder with heavier surf and, if you head further north, you can have a proper uncrowded desert surfing adventure. So, decide what kind of trip you want and go for it!
www.surfing-waves.com

Island Style
Barbados is one of the coolest winter destinations. It’s got a laid back vibe, has turquoise water and empty white sand beaches. And from October to January there’s consistently good weather and waves. The south coast offers fun, rolling waves; the east coast has some heavier stuff but is pretty uncrowded, whereas the west coast, although busier, has picture perfect scenery. Head for post-surf grub at Oistins fish market for their amazing open air grills.
www.zedsurftravel.com

Lavaland
For a cheap, warm water trip during our winter head to Lanzarote. On this Canarian Island you can go from the disco paradise or hell (depending on your outlook) of Puerto Del Carmen to the more remote surfing haven of Famara in under an hour. Waves can be found on the NE, N and W coasts and vary from the super-heavy at La Santa, to the more intermediate friendly at Famara. Or if you want a bit of adventure, then catch a boat to the neighbouring island of Grasciosa. Expect fun times and good surf.
www.lanzarote.com/surf

Portugal
A classic winter getaway for Brits – although most are heading for the package tour horrors of the Algarve. For surfers, Portugal’s south-western corner lets you eke out the warmest weather that mainland Europe has to offer through the winter months. Hot spots to stay include Sagres (perfect location) and Lagos (party town), and there are plenty of options for surfing – including smaller sheltered spots on the south coast if the Atlantic facing west coast is too big. And with plenty of cheap flights to Faro, which is only a couple of hours from surfing nirvana, there really isn’t any excuse…
www.surf-experience.com

California Dreamin
Combine surfing with fun in California. When you’re in LA, it’s simple: just do everything! Check out Hollywood, take in a movie, go to a diner, and surf Malibu. If cities aren’t your thing then go south to San Clemente, it’s a charming town with good waves like Trestles and San Onofre and a great atmosphere. Or head north towards San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway, here the coastline becomes more rugged and the waves heavier. Camp out amongst the redwoods and then get in for a dawnie for a real back-to-nature experience.
www.surfingcal.com

Mellow Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is beautifully chilled out and has great waves, scrumptious food, lovely scenery and it’s very cheap. Sri Lanka gets the same swells as Indo and from November to March the southwest side of the coast is the most consistent which means heading to breaks like Hikkaduwa and Midigama. There’s a variety of mellow reefs and beach breaks along all along the coast which are good for intermediates. And you’re never sure what wildlife you’re going to bump into next – from elephants to crocodiles – it’s the full David Attenborough surf experience!
www.surfinginsrilanka.com

SNOW

For post-Olympic perfection…
Whistler Blackcomb, Canada
After last year’s Winter Olympics, Whistler comes back for the 2010/11 season with all new facilities, lifts, the “Peak 2 Peak” gondola, and trails – but without the crowds and stress. Located on Canada’s northwest coast, Whistler is a snow trap with stunning trees, high class parks, an Olympic size Superpipe and long, snow-heavy seasons (it’s already been dumping since October!). If you’re brave, then venture further into British Columbia for incredible, easy access backcountry. And, if you fly into Vancouver, you can bookend your trip with a visit to Vancouver Island and immerse yourself in the high quality, but cold, breaks of Tofino, Long Beach or Jordan River.
www.whistlerblackcomb.com

For more than just snow…
La Plagne, France
La Plagne is at the heart of the Paradaski area which lives up to its name: surrounded by beautiful, chocolate box villages, La Plagne is perfect for beginners and intermediates, with mellow slopes and miles of easily accessible off piste. It’s an all round alpine heaven, with delicious local food, plus there’s the option of bobsleighing or ice climbing, or you can sleepover in an igloo, or even learn to drive your own husky driven sled.
www.La-plagne.com

Endless Powder…
Niseko, Japan
A Mecca for anyone with an addiction to freshies, the Niseko area is renowned for being drenched in the deepest ‘white gold’ you’ll ever experience. From December to May across all five resorts (Annupuri, Higashiyama, Hirafu, Hanazono and Moiwa) you can ride untracked powder until it’s all too much, and you’re crying out for a nice icy red run. Favourites include magical tree runs like Strawberry Fields and Miharashi. So, that inimitable powder-riding feeling of flying, topped off with an incredible culture fix, sushi and, of course, karaoke for afters!
www.niseko.ne.jp

Mellow park, parties & powder…
North Lake Tahoe, US
For chilled out Californian cruising you can’t beat North Lake Tahoe where there are a cluster of resorts around the stunning lake. Head to North Star to perfect your park skills on immaculately built features that grow gradually from baby sized to pro, or, on a powder day, sink into fairy like, mellow tree runs. For something more challenging you can explore the cliffs and chutes of Sugar Bowl or the steeps, trees, and natural halfpipes of Squaw.  Want more? Boreal is one big, nocturnal park for jibbers and jumpers.
www.northstarattahoe.com
www.sugarbowl.com
www.squaw.com

Cowboy bars & amazing backcountry…
Jackson Hole, US
If natural features are your forte, then J’Hole is heaven. Home to the likes of Travis Rice and Bryan Iguchi, the Teton Mountains erupt suddenly from Wyoming like a mini Chamonix, bang on the border of the beautiful Yellowstone National Park. With gondolas taking you from base to peak, and an infinite amount of routes through powder fields like Casper Bowl, natural halfpipes like Dick’s Ditch, and easy trees back to base, you can lap all day but still find something new every run. Then grab a beer and ride a bucking bronco with a cowboy after dark: in the summer many of the local ‘pros’ double up as cattle ranchers.
www.jacksonhole.com

Ride with pros and party…
Mayrhofen, Austria
Just an hour from Innsbruck by train, Mayrhofen has become the base of choice for European pros. At the bottom of the Zillertal valley (a brilliant thread of resorts), the Hof’s high altitude guarantees great snow, matched by massive open fields, intimidating steeps and pretty forests. The park is one of Europe’s best – sprinkled with fun rails and kicker lines. But be warned: they’re massive, so expect to share a chair with one of many pros practising for films or comps. It’s also a big party town, with a renowned Jager fuelled full-on après scene, and the home to Snowbombing. Good times guaranteed…
www.mayrhofen.at

Deal out all of the cards equally (excluding jacks.)

Take it in turns to place cards face down in the middle of the table. The cards you put down must be higher than the previous ones placed in the middle but you can put down as many cards as you like.

As you place the cards down you must say what they are (eg – 3 Queens), however you can lie about what cards you’re putting down, so even though you claim to be putting down 3 Queens you may actually be putting down 2 fives and 1 eight.

If anyone thinks you’re lying as to what you’re putting down, they must shout ‘cheat!’ (before the next person puts their cards down). If this is called, you must turn over the cards you put down to reveal whether you were cheating or not. If they were right and you were cheating, than you must pick up all the cards in the middle of the table. However, if you weren’t lying and you put down exactly what you claimed to be, the person who called cheat must pick up all the cards.

* One tip is to try to remember what cards people have put down previously.

The game gets harder as people end up with less cards and get better at lying!

Donkey
The aim of the game is to be the first person to get rid of all your cards.

Deal out 9 cards to each player. 3 face down on the table and 6 they’re allowed to look at. Place the rest of the deck in a pile on the table. Each player chooses their 3 best cards and places them face up ontop of the 3 cards they have face down infront of them.

2 = Starts a new run (magic card)
3 = Invisible card (magic card)
4 = Nothing
5 = Nothing
6 = Nothing
7 = The next player must put down a lower card
8 = Nothing
9 = Nothing
10 = Clears the pack (magic card)
J = Nothing
Q = Nothing
K = Nothing
A = Can be put on any card (magic card)

* Cards must be put down in order but magic cards can be put down at any time.

The person with a 4 starts and you all take it in turns to put down a card. You can put down multiple cards but only if they are the same number. If you find you can’t go because you don’t have a higher cards than the last one (or a lower one in the case of a 7) you must pick up all the cards in the middle of the table. Each time you put cards down you must pick up the same number of cards from the deck.

Once you have gotten rid of all of your cards and there are no more cards to pick up from the deck, you must use the 3 cards you have facing up infront of you.

If you manage to play those 3 cards, you must play the cards you have facing down infront of you, without looking at them first.

* The winner is the first person to get rid of all their cards.

Surf Trumps
Create your own game of surf trumps with the Stormrider Playing Cards. They’ve got in-depth Stormrider statistics and symbols. Beats the Queens Speech on Christmas day, and you’re learning something too!

Stormrider playing cards are available from the Orca Shop for only £4.99.

Words by Caroline Niewenhuis

SurfGirl 35 Winter Issue

This issue it’s all about snow and surf. We look at why winter sports are good for you, and some tips on how to stay motivated and surf through the winter months, keeping the summer fash vibe in winter, plus how to keep you from hypothermia when you’re surfing and the best winter wetsuit accessories. It’s all about keeping warm now the weather’s getting chilly! With this in mind if you want to escape we suggest some great warm water boltholes from tropical paradises to short haul trips.

Plus there’s snowboarding tips from Britain’s top snowboarders – Aimee, Jenny and Jessica, plus some advice on how to work the season on a budget, exercises to strengthen your muscles for snowboarding and the latest gear to ensure you’re stylin’ on the slopes this winter.

We head to the Maldives with the Rip Curl girls team, and French surfer Lea Brassy goes on an adventurous surf trip to Iceland with some beautiful images, looking like something from the Frozen Planet!

And with the festive season approaching we’ve some fab Christmas present ideas. Looking forward to next year we’ve some achievable earth friendly resolutions and a cool SurfGirl calendar to cut out or download on 31st December.

And one of the best things about this mag is the DIY mag. 16 pages in the magazine of your contributions from art, to making tips and travel stories – good work!

The mag is out this week, or you can subscribe here, we’ve some fab subscriber deals this month!

Thurso, Scotland – Thurso East is a right-hand reef break over a flat rock shelf, best on a big north-west swell when it may hold surfable waves of triple overhead and more. The break’s reputation means that it’ll always be busy on a good swell, so treat the locals with respect and take your turn.

Llangennith, Wales – Possibly the most popular surf spot in Wales, with beach breaks all the way along its three-mile length. It’s always crowded when there’s a good swell running, but if you’re prepared to walk along the beach you should be able to find less busy peaks.

Sennen Cove, Cornwall – One of the most consistent breaks in Britain on account of its exposed location, Sennen can hold good-sized waves and may have surf when everywhere else is flat.

Freshwater West, Wales - Freshwater is a huge beach with peaks all along its length so you can usually find a wave to yourself. The main beach produces some powerful and often quite large peaks, plus there are a couple of other good breaks in the small bays to the south. There’s also one of the heaviest, scariest reef breaks in Wales, generally not a break for beginners!

Croyde, Devon – Croyde is a popular, west-facing beachbreak with excellent tubey lefts and rights at low tide when it’s working. The beach is a couple of miles long, backed by sand dunes with a headland at each end, which provides some shelter. It has excellent powerful waves and can be very crowded with talented surfers when the surf is good.

For more info on where to surf in the UK go to  www.thesurfdirectory.co.uk. It’s your one stop guide to where to eat, sleep, surf and party.

Also get The Surf Girl Handbook for travel tips and advice, available from the Orcashop with a free Ted’s Shred’s air freshener.

Not only do the ground crew keep the camp fed, watered, moving and stationed…there’s the logistics of coordinating a team of 20+ people, 5 kayaks, 2 RVs plus numerous surfboards around swell, rocks, tides, private harbors, naval bases, fog, wind and rain whilst in the land of RULES; California has a lot of rules!

It’s an understatement to say they’re doing a great job.

The other crucial aspects to TransparentSea are the music and art creations inspired by the voyage.  With talented musicians onboard – Will Connor and Band of Frequencies – the “Song a day” encapsulates all the trials and tribulations, highs and lows, the agony and ecstasy of life on the campaign trail.

Actress Isabel Lucas and her partner Angus Stone really add to this creative vibe and during the few days they join the crew help to create a beautiful Women for Whales/S4C/TransparentSEA dolphin mural on a perfect sea wall (narrowly avoiding getting busted by park rangers)!

On day 2 I’m very lucky to be joining Lauren Lindsey Hill on her Hobie kayak to sail from El Capitan to Hammonds.  From the kayak perspective things are so calm and clear – the Californian coast majestic and powerful, basking in the abundance mother ocean provides.

Why ever would humans want to destroy such natural beauty?

Lauren is such an inspiring woman to be around; she is passionate about issues such as gender roles within the surf industry and being the only female sailor is living up to her role as an ecofeminist.  After studying environmental science and then embarking on TransparentSea, it’s clear she has a true drive to make a difference, when most people are just content to just go to the beach and catch a wave.  I learn about the issues affecting this region – how Surf Rider foundation has been protecting the Gaviota coastline for years so that it is now the last undeveloped stretch in Southern California, a jewel that will only remain that way with constant pressure from SurfRider and locals.  The fact that all of California was once like this will become significantly clear as we travel down into more and more populated areas surrounding Los Angeles.

The Santa Barbara channel is also a migratory path for many large cetaceans including gray whales, humpbacks and the mighty blue whales.  With LA harbour being the 5th largest working harbour in the world, a spate of blue whale fatalities due to cargo ship strikes in 2007 led the Environmental Defence Centre to tackle the huge problem of ship speeds, lobbying for a deduction in ship speed from 22 knots to 10.  I can only hope and dream that we get to meet one of these creatures further along our journey, and that they have safe passage in these waters for the future.

Soon the wind picks up and the rolling swells send us into shore with whoops of joy and a heightened awareness and awe for our oceanic playground.

A certain songwriter by the name of Jack… Jack Johnson… is there to greet us as we land, but tired and exhausted I opt out of the sleepover with beach bonfire instead heading back to the campsite for a shower, Jacuzzi, red wine, tent and deep, deep sleep.

We move onto a fabulous state park called Leo Carrillo, in a canyon overlooking a right-hand pointbreak.  We’re getting closer and closer to the infamous Malibu surf break and the waves have started to pick up.  Leo’s right-hander is a bit of a mission with a tiny take off spot and crazy kelp intent on latching onto you, holding you back from any peelers that make it through the crowd unridden – so the next day we check out Malibu.  It’s longboard heaven!  And with only 30 or so people out it’s a quiet afternoon for the ‘Bu!

It is also the anticipated event at Malibu Inn, so we race to scrub up after our sunset glass session and enjoy music by “the freq’s”, Will Connor and special guest Catherine Clarke, art auction/exhibition and Minds in the Water screening.  A few high profile celebs also add to the Malibu mix in the form of rock legends Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Rob Trujillo (Metallica).  A highlight of the evening is learning of 2 oceanic issues in the local area and being introduced to organisations dealing with these issues;

The Marine mammal care centre is the only hospital in Los Angeles County that cares for sick, injured and orphaned marine mammals, primarily seals and sea lions.  Not only does the Care Center provide treatment for Los Angeles County’s marine mammals, but it also has a multi faceted educational program, teaching the community about local marine life and the ecosystem.
Why they do what they do:

“Rehabilitating these animals is the humane thing to do…however there is also a lot to be learned from treating these animals.  By treating these patients, we are able to learn more about marine life and other endangered species.  Our team is also “oil spill certified” so we are able to handle oil spill treatment should we need to.”

The Malibu Lagoon is an ongoing local issue with opposing sides to the future of this natural habitat, home to many birds and fish including an endangered species – the Goby fish – it also has a build up of stagnant water and renovations have been ongoing for about 30 years.

The Malibu Lagoon is the terminus of the Malibu Creek Watershed, the second largest watershed draining into Santa Monica Bay. Receiving approximately 1.5 million visitors each year, Surfrider Beach and the Malibu Lagoon are iconic both within surfing culture and beach culture at large.  Previously used as a construction dump, then transformed into a baseball field, Malibu Lagoon is finally receiving the attention it deserves as an intrinsically valuable space.

However, controversy surrounds differing approaches of restoring, maintaining and maximizing biological health of the lagoon. Although opinions abound, two dominant management approaches emerge.

After meeting with representatives from Save Malibu Lagoon, Surfrider Foundation and Heal the Bay, it seems as though the management of Malibu Lagoon boils down to a matter of philosophical difference. Both camps are doing the best work they can with the information they have, but are operating from fundamentally differing philosophical positions of environmental science. The Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project, of Heal the Bay and Surfrider Foundation among others, was drafted with the underlying assumption that through scientific understanding, with maps, models and machines, we can renovate and rebuild entire ecosystems to improve their biological health. Groups like Save Malibu Lagoon, on the other hand, advocate a less heavy-handed (and slower) approach.

We have a special chance to visit the lagoon; learning more about its controversial restoration plans and later on, participating in a SurfRider beach clean leads us even closer to the realities of the lagoon – discovering a dead peli and pollution in the area first hand.   Once the beach is thoroughly swept and karma points are in the bag it’s such joy to spend the rest of the day surfing, hanging out at Malibu and enjoying the iconic surroundings!

We have a day or so left at Leo Carrillo and the team are feeling strong energies within the canyon with deer herds running through the campsite, talk of mountain lions and strange dreams infiltrating many people’s sleep.  We are invited to visit the local Chumash village, feeling it is an integral part of any journey to honour the ancesters of the land we are visiting.

After calling in the whales atop the canyon ridge overlooking the vast ocean, the time has come to move on…  with the full moon and the Chumash blessing, the kayak convoy decides to attempt the next leg in the night!  Setting off at midnight is a risk indeed, but the sailors have clear skies and mother nature on their side…  or do they?

TransparentSea: Part 3

TransparentSea: Part 4

TransparentSea: Part 5

Want to find out more? Check out these links for all the latest from S4C and Women for Whales.

www.transparentseavoyage.com
www.s4cglobal.org
www.womenforwhales.org

Santa Barbara & Malibu links;
www.surfrider.org
www.environmentaldefencecentre.org
www.marinemammalcare.org
www.healthebay.org
www.savemalibulagoon.com

Surfline Aawarticle

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/surf-and-the-malibu-lagoon-restoration-project_54876/

The first journey (Byron Bay to Bondi, Australia, 2009) successfully highlighted the plight of humpback whales and the threat faced by Japanese whaling fleets.
The second (California, October, 2011) traces the southern migration of Blue and Grey whales from Santa Barbara to Baja, Mexico with an emphasis on engaging key coastal community groups and drawing awareness to the causes they support.

Webisode 2 contains vision from the second week of the month-long TransparentSea initiative which includes an arduous 17 hour long mission from Leo Carrillo to Palos Verdes that saw the group pushed to their physical limits after losing their way in fog. Go to www.transparentseavoyage.com for updates, news and info on how you can help.