October 2, 2009. Thank you for helping Surf-First complete the first stage in helping surfers stand up for themselves. That’s right, in just 10 months, we collected data on 5500 wave-riders from across the entire U.S.: Malibu to Maryland. Minnesota to Miami. Michigan to Mexico Beach to Mayaguez to Maui. We heard from men and women. Boys and girls. Shortboarders and longboarders. Spongers and bodysurfers. Teenage groms to 85-year-old grandpas. And we did it because of you: the engaged surfing community, who understood how a little effort and info now could help us better represent surfers’ issues down the road. But we’ve really just popped to our feet. Over the next few months we'll crunch the data, distilling it down to the most local level possible: state-by-state – and wherever possible – break on break. By next summer, we’ll have it all posted right here so that any surfer, who loves any wave— from the most precious, world-class pointbreak to the crappiest, shiftiest sandbar — can proudly walk into any town hall or business office and show with concrete numbers that surfing is a pursuit as crucial to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in their beach community as any other ocean activity. That enjoying the ocean is as much a fundamental American right as free speech. To those of you who took part — individuals, media outlets, activist groups — please accept our most sincere gratitude. To those of you who didn't, it’s not too late to help as we hope this is the first of an ongoing attempt to chronicle surfers' demographics and economic contributions. Even better, when you do face an issue, remember this resource and use it to protect your home spot. Maybe if we're just as selfish, aggressive and determined as we are in the water, we'll never lose another wave. And if we do, it's because we looked hard, considered it carefully and let it go for a greater good - not because someone snaked it from us. For updates on our progress -- and the latest surf-related issues -- stay tuned to www.surf-first.blogspot.com