Just south of the town of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, Playa Yankee is a local favorite that spits out perfect, hollow barrels when conditions are right. This ocean playground and its surrounding beach is under threat from the proposed construction of a pier that, if completed, would lead directly into the surf zone.

Piero Coen Ubilla, a Nicaraugan businessman who owns the Western Union franchise in Nicaragua, is also the owner of much of the land that fronts Yankee Beach. Although beaches in Nicaragua are public property, Ubilla, according to local surfers, is reportedly attempting to create his own private beach by placing an armed guard at one end and potentially building a pier at the other.

According to local surfer and businessman, Donn Wilson, who has been very involved in protecting the Nicaraguan coastline, Ubilla bought permits for the pier construction from MTI (Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure). The construction plan also includes the use of explosives in fragile marine areas, where parts of the natural reef would be blown up. This reef is host not only to an epic surf spot, but is also home to many endangered marine species, such as the green-turtle, who would be drastically disturbed by the new construction.

A group of devoted surfers, environmentalists and marine biologists have come together to fight the proposed construction. A recent rally opposing the project was successful in halting the project for the next month, which will give MARENA (Nicaragua's Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources) enough time to review the permit and assess the site. This temporary halt in the pier’s construction is seen as the beginning of a long and complicated battle, and locals opposing the project are asking everyone to keep the pressure on until the end.