“Why not have surf breaks, famous, great breaks like Jeffrey’s Bay, Rincon and Malibu as [UNESCO] World Heritage Sites so that the whole world sees their value and wants to protect them?” ~Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder & Save The Waves supporter

World Surfing Reserves is a new, cutting edge initiative designed to enshrine and protect the world’s greatest surf spots: the most sacred, cherished, environmentally rich and culturally significant areas. The program proactively designates and preserves outstanding waves, surf zones and their surrounding environments, around the world. It serves as a global model for preserving wave breaks and their surrounding areas by recognizing the positive environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits of waves.

On December 5th 2008, Save The Waves launched the WSR Program at the first-ever Value of Waves Roundtable in Half Moon Bay, California. The event brought together thought leaders from the worldwide surfing, environmental and scientific communities to discuss wave and coastal protection within the context of a global wave enshrinement program: the World Surfing Reserves program.

Save The Waves developed World Surfing Reserves in conjunction with National Surfing Reserves Australia, and has established additional partnerships with the International Surfing Association (ISA), and Stanford University’s Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) to help distribute, implement and manage the initiative.

For more info on how the program works, check out our WSR FAQ.

Visualize the scope of WSR through our World Surfing Reserves/Google Earth application.

Check out the WSR PSA here http://www.youtube.com/user/savethewaves.

Read Drew Kampion's World Surfing Reserves Manifesto.