Over 100 Coalition Members gather from 13 countries for conservation and collaboration for the impactful 3-day event.
(October 2025) From October 8-10, Save The Waves Coalition gathered partners, ambassadors, scientific advisors, field coordinators, World Surfing Reserves and friends from around the world for the second iteration of our Coalition Summit.
Held at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, California, the Coalition Summit was an in-person opportunity for our global network to collaborate and protect surf ecosystems.
Attendees represented countries and regions from Australia, Portugal and the Azores, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil, United Kingdom, Chile, Mexico, Indonesia, El Salvador, Ecuador and the Galapagos, South Africa and across California.
To kick off the event, all members received a copy of Patagonia’s new book “A Changemaker’s Guidebook: Tools To Save Our Home Planet”. One of the book’s key editors, Nick Mucha, the Senior Director of Environmental Activism at Patagonia and former Programs Director at Save The Waves, delivered a keynote message for the event on the importance of collaboration.
“You can only move forward at the speed of trust,” said Mucha. He encouraged the crowd to consider how each person could empower other people to join the work. “Ask yourselves how you can go from ‘can do it’ to ‘ conduit’.”
Over the course of the three day event, learning sessions, plenaries and workshops were held on various topics around surf ecosystem conservation. These in-depth discussions included the exploration of legal frameworks for surf breaks, climate resilience and stewardship for local communities, fundraising innovations, digital networks for coalition building, campaign strategies and more.
“The places we love may be threatened, but the biggest threat to our success is isolation. Building a community can be hard, but it’s always worth it. Our Coalition is a place where everyone belongs and everyone is committed to protect the people and places they care about,” said Nik Strong-Cvetich, CEO of Save The Waves.
During the Celebration Dinner on the night of October 9th, a special panel came together, “Big Wave Surfing and Conservation: The Why to the Work.” The panel featured Greg Long, Ramon Navarro, Bianca Valenti, Cliff Kapono, Katie McConnell, Sarah Gerhardt, and Peter Mel. Each pro surfer was asked why they have devoted time away from competitive surfing and chasing big waves to surf ecosystem conservation.
From giving back to communities, leveraging platforms using educations in biology and chemistry, or recapturing cultural heritage, each surfer had a different background and a different reason to put time into the work. But the takeaway was clear: every person, surfer, and ocean-lover has something they bring to the table.
“Our combined knowledge, tools, education, expertise, and skills can come together on a unified front to protect and conserve surf ecosystems and coastlines,” said Strong-Cvetich.
“I believe the Summit reminded us of this important, underlying fact, and empowered us with the inspiration and tools to go forward and keep making a difference. Together, we can meet these very challenging moments and pursue our collective vision to protect the places we love for future generations. The power of the Coalition is stronger than ever!”
Watch our recap reels on Instagram, created by our friends at Seavoice here.
Check out additional reporting on the Coalition Summit at Surfer Magazine, written by August Howell.
Thank you to our supporters and sponsors: Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, Dream Inn, Flotilla Foundation, Rivian Foundation, SIMA, O’Neill, Finisterre, Patagonia, Dryrobe, Saltyface, Sandbar Solar, Lumen, Stifel, 805, Ethos, Treeswax, and Richard Schmidt Surf School.
