Surfrider Foundation, MAKING WAVES, June 2004

MAKING WAVES, June 2004 issue: Table of Contents

by Will Henry

Editor’s note: This month we are featuring a special report from our friends at Save the Waves, updating their efforts to save the break at Jardim do Mar, which is located on an island off the coast of Portugal. While outside of Surfrider Foundation USA’s normal field of work, this battle serves to remind us that threats to our world’s oceans, waves and beaches continue to mount each day.

The island of Madeira is host to some of the highest quality big-wave spots in the world. A number of years ago, after one particularly beautiful session at Jardim do Mar, we came up with a phrase to describe it that has stuck ever since. “It’s a surf-spot designed by the gods, for the gods.” Everything was on a grander scale here. The immense size of the cliffs, the Volkswagen-sized “cobblestones” along the water’s edge, the massive walls of moving water that broke just a few feet from shore, all seemed to be perfectly designed for a being much larger than a human, as though the Titans could paddle out at any moment.

Those early years on the island were magical. Very few visiting surfers came through, and there was a sense of adventure and new discovery around every bend. Surfing was so new to the island that there were virtually no local surfers, and surf travelers were welcomed into the small village’s life and treated almost as a novelty. But as many travelers can attest, things never stay the same forever. Change is inevitable, and often we find that the places we try to keep as secrets are later discovered, and then overrun by the masses.

Oddly enough, it happened somewhat differently in Jardim do Mar. The first crews of surfers to go through kept relatively tight-lipped about the place, and over the years, the influx of surf travelers remained reasonably low. Not much changed in the village. Year after year, a small group reconvened each winter, amazed to find that the hordes had not discovered its magic. Little did we know that this fact would contribute to its ultimate demise.

Madeira is a territory of Portugal, which is now part of the European Union. A few years back, as the EU took shape, Madeira received financial assistance to improve its infrastructure. The EU had earmarked billions of dollars in funds to help the so-called “lesser-developed” regions of Europe to catch up with the rest of the herd. At first, the development in Madeira was relatively benign.

Roads were drastically improved and tunnels blasted all over the island’s steep hillsides, improving the quality of life for all Madeirans. The economy improved, as many more citizens were employed by the new construction work, and local companies scored big contracts with the government. But once the roads were mostly built, the government had to find new projects to keep the money flowing in from the mainland.

In October of 2001, I made my annual pilgrimage to the island and saw the beginnings of malevolent change. The swell came up big one afternoon, and with it a strong Northwest wind, so we drove to a point break on the South shore that held good promise of handling the conditions. I arrived at the village of Lugar de Baixo and was instantly struck by a horrible sight. The line-up was a construction zone. Bulldozers, cranes, and tractors were pulling rocks off of the reef and drastically altering the shoreline. The waves were big, and still reeling down the point, but something was different. The line-up was full of turbulence. A steep wall had been built at the top of the point to protect a future hotel development, and it was sending backwash straight into the take-off zone. Originally, this wave was a full-on, pedal-to- the-metal barrel ride from take-off to finish. Now it was a mess, difficult to get into, and the tubes were collapsing on themselves and the waves were sectioning badly. We realized how fragile a spot can bejust move a few rocks here and there, and what you’re left with is only half of the wave that it once was.

Later that day, I found out from my Madeiran friend that the point break was soon to be replaced by a marina. EU funds had been secured for the project, which was set to begin in just a few months. “Isn’t anyone doing something to stop this?” I asked incredulously. No, was his response. The surfers are still too young, and most Madeirans just accept what the government says. Plus, he said, the island needs marinas much more than surf spots. Tragic as it was, I saw his point, but I didn’t understand why they had to put the marina there. Why not in the next bay over, where there wasn’t a classic point break? The problem, he said, was that most Madeirans don’t even know that surfers value the place as something unique. So few surf tourists visit the island that they don’t represent a worthwhile economic force, while a marina will bring a definite dollar figure and a large number of new jobs.

Hence, a new organization was born: Save the Waves Coalition, an environmental group dedicated to preserving the world’s surf spots. I formulated a battle plan and went into action, pulling together a coalition of volunteers and partner organizations who felt as strongly about the issue as I did. We generated a publicity campaign aimed at telling the Madeiran Government that they were destroying a unique natural feature, and also a potential source of tourism revenue. I was amazed by the response. Many people wrote letters from all over the world, most of whom had never visited Madeira. I also started to learn that Madeira was not the only place with threatened surf spots, as people told me their own stories of woe from other parts of the globe.

About six months later, I returned to Madeira, this time on a mission. I gave interviews to the press, pleaded my case with government officials, and met with other like-minded organizations on the island. After one such meeting, I was surprised to be confronted by news cameras, and the resulting comments ended up running on the evening news. I couldn’t believe what I was able to accomplish in just a few days on the island. It seemed that, even as an individual, I could influence policy, even in a culture to which I did not belong.

Two weeks after returning home to the U.S., the government of Madeira announced its plans to relocate the marina. It was an amazing feelingthat what I had done had made a difference. It sounds like a happy ending, but unfortunately it was not. We had won the battle, but had only begun to fight the war.

In early 2002, the Madeiran government started battle number two, this time with plans to build a road and seawall in the village of Jardim do Mar. It was unfathomable: This was the best wave on the island, and was also the site of their only international pro contest, the 2000 Red Bull Big Wave Challenge. How could they? Was nothing sacred to this government? Again we campaigned against it, but this time, the government was unwilling to back down. Things did not look so good for Jardim do Mar.

The construction on Jardim do Mar’s seawall began in June of 2003. Within a few weeks, the beach had disappeared under tons of debris. Our worst fears were imagined: one of the world’s most unique point breaks, named by Surfer Magazine as “the world’s best (and perhaps only) big wave point break,” Jardim do Mar, would perish if we didn’t act soon. Adding to our problems were announcements of similar projects all over the island. Five other waves on the island are also under threat, almost half of the surf spots in Madeira.

In September of 2003 we took to the streets again, this time with a lot more support behind us. Surfrider Europe sent representatives to the island, and together with Portuguese environmental groups Cosmos and Quercus, we staged a series of events to promote coastal preservation. Our protest, later dubbed the 100 Surfer March, descended on the capital of Funchal on a busy Friday afternoon and caused quite a stir. The aftermath of our events saw a few signs of positive change in Madeiraand a lot of anger from the governmentwhich indicated that we had done our job properly. But it also indicated the difficulty we have in this line of work in quantifying our success. We may not have saved the surf spot from damage, but quite frankly, did we ever have a chance? What was more important is that we sent the Madeiran government a strong message, and allowed the surfers on the island to feel empowered to stand up for their rights.

Again in Madeira, we at Save the Waves are faced with the dilemma of how to defeat a monster with a flimsy sword. The developers have enormous resources, while we barely have the money to pay for our plane tickets. But march into battle we will. Remember Killer Dana, remember Petacalco, La Barre, and all the other unnamed and forgotten spots that have disappeared under the bulldozer of progress. We have a goal to educate the world about the values of our sport, and remind them of the delicate natural balance that exists at a surf spot. Perhaps some day they will be valued like the other natural wonders of the world, like waterfalls, mountains and heritage trees, and will be preserved for eternity. For now, however, we must hope that the gods are with us, and that they help us preserve their favorite wave, Jardim do Mar.

For more information about Jardim do Mar and other endangered waves, please visit the Save the Waves Coalition website at http://www.savethewaves.org. And as always, support your local Surfrider Chapter.