4th Annual Walter Caloca Surf Contest in San Miguel Day 1

March 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

On Saturday March 22, 2014  young surfers from Mexico and the U.S. gathered in San Miguel, Baja California to participate in the 4th Annual Walter Caloca Surf Contest. Organized by Alfredo Ramirez and United Athletes of the Pacific Ocean (UAPO) with the help of Zach Plopper and WILDCOAST/COSTASALVAJE, the event provided a forum for young surfers to rip 2-4′ waves and celebrate international friendships. Additionally, Day 1, included the SUP and bodyboard divisions.

It was a great day. Day 2 on March 23, is the open event. The photos here are all from Day 1.

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Daniel Dedina with San Miguel local and artist Jaime Noia.

Daniel Dedina with San Miguel local and artist Jaime Noia.

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Afredo Ramirez of UAPO with competitors. The best part of this contest is bringing together surfers from Mexico and the U.S.

Afredo Ramirez of UAPO with competitors. The best part of this contest is bringing together surfers from Mexico and the U.S.

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Girls contestants.

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Daniel Dedina, Jack Stewart and Cameron Bartz from IB.

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Jack Stewart and Cameron Bartz await their final heat.

Jack Stewart and Cameron Bartz await their final heat.

Cameron Bartz.

Cameron Bartz.

Lance Mann

Lance Mann

Paul Stewart.

Paul Stewart.

Daniel Dedina

Daniel Dedina

Dakotah Hooker

Dakotah Hooker

Josh Johnson

Josh Johnson

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Dakotah Hooker.

Dakotah Hooker.

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Paul Stewart.

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Javi Meza

Javi Meza

Daniel Dedina

Daniel Dedina

SUP finalists.

SUP finalists.

Grom finalists.

Grom finalists.

Girls finalists.

Girls finalists.

Bodyboard finalists.

Bodyboard finalists.

Junior finalists.

Junior finalists.

Cameron Bartz, Paul Steward, Lance Mann and Daniel Dedina.

Cameron Bartz, Paul Steward, Lance Mann and Daniel Dedina. It is great to see so many young surfers surfing and making friends south of the border. It is great for them to travel and make lots of friends up and down the coast. That is the true spirit of surfing.

Filed Under: Baja California, Surfing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More from the Blue Tour in Mexico

March 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Just a few odds and ends from my recent trip to the Mexican states of Guerrero and Oaxaca to give talks and show the Blue Ocean Film Festival.

Areceli Oregon, the Mayor of Barra de Potos at our press conference opposing the placement of a FONATUR cruise ship terminal on top of the village and mangrove lagoon.

This is Julio, a sea turtle conservationist giving a talk to kids in Barra de Potosi about why it is important to conserve sea turtles and not eat their eggs.

This is in Zihuatanejo. Fishermen are mad about being displaced there. It is a lovely city--that has not kept pace in terms of managing its rapid growth.

I gave a talk in Saladita at Lourdes's Bungalows. From left to right: Irwin of Azulita, Kristy Murphy of Siren Surf Adventures, Lourdes, Pato of Azulita, me, Cat of Siren Surf Adventures, and Natalia of Costasalvaje.

We had over 200 people attend our event in Puerto Escondido.A great crowd.

That's me addressing the kids in Barra de la Cruz, a village in Oaxaca.

Maybe the most surreal moment of the trip to Zihuatanejo was going to visit Dr. Enrique Rodriguez, wildlife and animal rights activist and not realizing until I walked into his small office on the second floor of building just off the malecon that he was a small animal vet. He was of course in the middle of spaying a cat (which he does for free)
He offered to let me watch the operation, but I really didn't want to.
Just another surreal magical moment in Mexico.
Always expect the unexpected.

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Filed Under: Mexico Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Global Wave Conference 2011

October 24, 2011 by 3 Comments

Conference poster on a street sign in Biarrtiz. This is a real surf town.

I’m at the first ever Global Wave Conference in Biarritz, France. The conference organized by the Surfrider Foundation and Surfrider-Europe, Save the Waves, and Surfers Against Sewage and especially Dr. Tony But,  is an attempt to bring together wave-saving activists and organizations from around the world to discuss tools and techniques from around the world. Zach Plopper and Ben McCue have joined me from WiLDCOAST.

I will be talking in San Sebastian, the second day of the conference on “Saving Wild Waves: How WiLDCOAST Saved 30 Miles Coastline in Baja California, Mexico.”

Dean LaTourrette of Save the Waves (left) and Dr. Tony But (with the sweater)

The conference is taking place today, Monday, October 23 in Biarritz and tomorrow in San Sebastian, Spain on Tuesday October 24.

Mot of us arrived on Sunday evening and had a great dinner with about 20 activists from France, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, England and the U.S.

The GWC Activist dinner on Sunday evening.

The conference is taking place at the Municipal Auditorium overlooking the Grand Plage of Biarritz. There is simultaneous translation of talks–which is great since they will be given in French, English and Spanish.

Outside of the beachside-auditorium in Biarritz. There are posters plastered all over the city.

The view from the conference location. The surf was 2-3' most of the day and offshore. It is a school holiday so the groms were on the pack most of the day.

 

Stéphane Latxague, CEO of Surfrider Europe who have helped to organize the event and who is the moderator.

Filed Under: Surfing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Saving Sea Turtles in Mexico

November 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

You don’t read that much about what is going on Mexico that is good. But I am lucky to have an incredible WiLDCOAST team in southern Mexico, Sergio and Natalia Flores, who are working to conserve sea turtle nesting beaches from the predations of poachers. The poachers steal the sea turtle eggs and sell them as a form of organic viagra.

Most of the nesting beaches are in the most conflict-ridden states of Mexico, Guerrero and Michoacan, so that doesn’t make stopping poaching easy.Oaxaca where a lot of nesting happens is not as prone to narco-violence.

These images are of the Guerrero State Eco-Police and olive ridley nesting in Ixtapilla, one of the more famous nesting beaches in Mexico.

Guerrero Eco-Cop protecting nesting sea turtle.

Eco-cops with poachers in Guerrero.

Olive ridley sea turtle in Ixtapilla, Mexico.

Kids helping to save sea turtle eggs in Ixtapilla.

Filed Under: Mexico, WiLDCOAST Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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