California · Wired
The climate crisis is coming for some of the world’s greatest surf breaks
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Analysis of dozens of famous waves in World Surfing Reserves (WSR) found that more than three-quarters were at high risk because of changing tide levels, hardened shorelines, and shifting sands.
Key facts
- Almost 200 local experts analyzed 57 surf breaks in all but two of the 13 WSRs, spread across eight countries
- Trent Hodges, a coauthor of the study and a senior programs manager at Save the Waves Coalition, which launched the WSR program in 2009, said: “Climate change will impact surf breaks all
- Adam Hall, a cofounder of the North Devon WSR, was one of the local surfers who contributed to the study
- This story originally appeared on The Guardian and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration
Summary
This story originally appeared on The Guardian and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The climate crisis is coming for some of the world’s greatest surf breaks, submerging some as sea level rises and wiping out others as classic breaks get crushed against coastal developments. The impacts matter not only to the surfers catching the waves but also to the communities that depend on the multibillion-dollar surf economy, often located in places with little else. The waves rated at most risk in the study include the “bombing barrels” of Croyde Beach in North Devon, UK; the point breaks at Noosa in Australia and Oriente Salvaje, El Salvador; and Santa Cruz reefs of California such as Sewer Peak and Wind and Sea.