In May 2007, Save The Waves began filming its next documentary surfer activist film, traveling in Chile with professional surfers Ramon Navarro, León Vicuña, Keith Malloy, James Pribram, Raph Bruhwiler, Timmy Turner, Nano Zegers and Brett Schwartz. They visited remote coastline where massive pulp mills pump tons of waste into the water daily. The contrast between perfect empty point breaks, quaint fishing villages, and huge industrial factories was a shock to those who were visiting for the first time. Save The Waves founder Will Henry, after braving the waters of a river mouth break almost adjacent to one mill's outflow pipe, was shocked at the poor water quality. "It smelled like dirty dishwater, and had a slimy film that stuck to your skin." Some local residents warned them not to surf there, but Henry decided to be a human guinea pig, along with program director Josh Berry and journalist Gabe Sullivan. "The wave there is pretty incredible," stated Sullivan immediately after his surf, "but I need a shower quick. That water is seriously nasty."
The crew also made a stop in Pichilemu, to have a closer look at the pollution in the lagoon that receives the entire town's wastewater. "This is a problem all over Chile," stated Berry as he covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. "And the federal Government isn't doing anything to solve it." Sulphuric smells lay thick on the air, and the lagoon's water was viscous and choked with green algae. "I remember as a boy, we used to swim and fish in that lagoon," stated local legend Ramon Navarro, a pro surfer from the village that has recently achieved international fame. "But as the town grew, the pollution overwhelmed it. You could get sick just going near it now."
The two-week trip yielded great results. Sunny weather, empty line-ups, and some of the world's best surfers tearing it up - already the film is well on its way. Leading video journalist Sachi Cunningham manned the camera, while Josh and Will spoke with the local fishermen, ox drivers, and farmers about life in this remote part of South America, and how pollution could threaten their ancient way of life. Look for upcoming articles about the trip in The Surfer's Path and SBC Magazines.
