Q: Why and when did you get involved with the Surfrider Foundation?
I became involved because Surfrider was at the exact intersection of my top passions: surfing and enjoying & protecting the marine environment.
Q: What are some local issues that are affecting your ocean?
Some local issues affecting our ocean are beach access, litter and plastic pollution, development and erosion.
Q: What Surfrider projects have you worked on?
Wow, there are a lot of projects spread over the 10 years that I have been involved in. Here are the biggies: Rise Above Plastics, fighting a beach armoring project, getting the City of Miami Beach to abandon proposed surfing rules that would have greatly reduced access, Hands Across the Sand to fight proposed offshore drilling and lobbying in Tallahassee during the Legislative Session with the Florida delegation on Ocean’s day.
Q: What has been the highlight of your Surfrider experience?
Getting over 200 people lined up on the shoreline for the first Hands Across the Sand BEFORE the BP disaster on a rare day of firing surf in Miami and then lining up 1000 after there was oil in the water.
Q: What is the most important thing you tell others about Surfrider?
We protect beaches so everyone – not just surfers – can access and enjoy them. We also need to reduce our plastics consumption and get others to do the same.
Q: Why are you a Surfrider coastal defender?
I'm a Surfrider coastal defender because the beach is my playground, my daughters’ playground and the favorite playground of so many. Protecting it gives me satisfaction and ocean karma.
Join us at surfrider.org/chapters or support our coastal defenders at surfrider.org/support-surfrider!