San Francisco, CA – Life Is A Wave, the annual fundraiser hosted by Save The Waves Coalition, once again filled the halls of the 111 Minna Gallery in downtown San Francisco on Friday night, May 30th. In its eighth year, the event raised more than $72,000 to help Save The Waves’ further protect and preserve surfing coastline around the world.
This year, long time Save The Waves supporter, Ramon Navarro was presented with the 2014 Wave Saver Award for his work protecting the Chilean coast from sewage pipelines and pulp mills, helping his community recover from a devastating earthquake and tsunami, and working for long-term protection for his beloved Punta de Lobos. Typically humble, Ramon accepted the award stating, “For me, I am not a wave saver, the wave savers are all of the surfers and fishermen that protect their own spots across the world.” As part of his support for the event, Ramon brought the board he rode on his historic wave at Cloudbreak, Fiji in June 2012. Ramon and Save The Waves will continue to work together to protect the iconic Punta de Lobos as part of the World Surfing Reserves program.
“I am always impressed by Ramon—his humbleness, his down-to-earth attitude and his willingness to do the right thing. This award was for everything he has done, and everything he is going to do”, said Save The Waves’ Executive Director Nik Strong-Cvetich. View Ramón’s acceptance speech video here.
The event featured artwork from internationally renowned artists like Wolfgang Bloch, Sean Davey, and Ian Ross, as well as top talent from photo contributors like Seth Migdail, Ryan Craig, and Rodrigo Moreno Farias. The evening’s festivities also featured live music from Santa Cruz’s own SambaDá, and DJ’s Adam 12 and Ryan Lucero.
“It was fantastic to see so many people come out to support us,” said Strong-Cvetich. “Life Is A Wave helps us continue our work protecting surfing coastlines through our unique approach combining protected areas, economics, and direct action.”
Save The Waves would like to send an enthusiastic thank you to all those who donated to the auction and attended the event, as well as Life Is A Wave 2014 event sponsors: Barracuda Networks, Billabong, Patagonia, Volcom, Clif Bar, Ocean’s Halo, Kleen Kanteen, Santa Cruz Waves, Proof Lab Surf Shop, Escape Camper Vans, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Longboard Vineyards, Alaskan Brewing Co., and Hog Island Oysters.