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The Earthwave Global Surf Challenge is an initiative created by the Cape Town based Kahuna Surfing Academy that showcases the global nature of the surfing community, highlights their environmental concerns and issues a "call to action" on how we can reduce our impact on climate change.
By staging attempts on the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding one wave simultaneously’ on beaches worldwide on the first Sunday in September annually, Earthwave provides a platform for surfers of every age and ability to participate in an enjoyable group activity.
Leveraging the newsworthiness of world record attempts, Earthwave seeks to raise awareness of the threat of Global Warming and its effects on our oceans and waves while mobilizing the trendsetting surfing fraternity through practical advice on how to become part of the solution to the most devastating problem ever faced by mankind.
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Climate change is the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen.
STERN REPORT(prepared for UK government on economic consequences of climate change)
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Don’t boil a full kettle if you only want a cup-full
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History
Motivated by the immense interest in the record breaking attempt on the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding the same wave simultaneously’ in Cape Town in September 2006 and inspired by Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth”, the Kahuna Surfing Academy (KSA) created the Earthwave Global Surf Challenge.
Convinced that they could break the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding one wave simultaneously’ after the paltry total of 44 was confirmed as the new record by the Lahinch Surf School in May 2006, the duo of veteran watersports promoter Paul Botha and his son Dene, South Africa’s highest internationally qualified surf instructor, registered an attempt on the record with the GWR organisation in London.
A shark attack near Muizenberg, the second involving the loss of a limb in two years in close proximity to this extremely popular surf spot, and multiple inshore sightings of Great White sharks by the Shark Spotters Programme, provided additional impetus to the project.
The record attempt was made at Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg on 17 September 2007 combined with an open debate on the shark situation in the waters around the Cape Peninsula, drawing a large crowd and an unexpectedly large entry of 349 registered participants for the attempt, including more than 50 from historically disadvantaged communities whose participation and transport to the event were sponsored by benevolent companies and individuals.
Five waves were ridden during the designated hour and the third saw 73 surfers counted once they had been up and riding for the full five seconds as specified in the rules.
Thanks to the support of local businesses and the surfing industry, tens of thousands of Rands worth of merchandise and vouchers were auctioned, used as prizes in raffles and a Dig for Gold competition and even given away to participants and spectators who freely donated to the worthy cause, enabling the KSA to contribute over R10 000 to the Shark Spotters Programme.
More than 20 live radio interviews were conducted over the day, seven television crews and dozens of photographers were on hand to record the action and requests for images and video footage came in from all over the globe for weeks after the event.
Determined to raise the bar even higher, Dene Botha masterminded the concept of challenging other surfing organisations around the world to all make an attempt on the record on the same day annually.
While searching for a worthy cause that could benefit from the immense publicity generated by world record attempts they saw Al Gore’s film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ which highlighted the threat of Global Warming. A little research revealed most people have no idea that climate change is the greatest threat facing mankind today.
So the Earthwave Global Surf Challenge was born and once the early adopters have got the inaugural edition up and running in this year, we are confident that Earthwave will go on to become surfing’s equivalent of music’s Live Earth project and the global wave-riding community’s biggest annual promotion for a sustainable lifestyle.
Together we CAN make a difference!
See Kahuna Surf for more details of the Cape Town event that started Earthwave rolling.
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