Are you as interested in the kelp as the swell in the lineup? Do you ponder what lives underwater as you wait for waves? Do you go surfing after diving? Do you watch the jellyfish and stingrays zing by while surfing? If so, you might be a surfing ecologist and are doubly stoked hanging out in the ocean. Read on, this site is for you!!

Surfing Ecology was inspired by Surfing Doctors: doctors who surf and address surf-related health issues, injury and life-saving techniques. Together, these two fields create synergy and a focus on previously ignored or poorly understood areas of medicine relevant to surfers. This synergy results in better responses to drowning, increased knowledge about cold water tolerance, wound care, and clean water. They even have an annual conference and a journal.

There is a similar and natural synergy between surfing and marine ecology and a group of like-minded individuals dedicated to exploring the interface between these two fields could produce valuable contributions to ocean health, conservation, and the well-being of surfers, marine life, and the coastal zone. Here I explore this concept, how it would work, and some ideas of what could be done.

We are all related!

To learn more about Surfing Ecology read the Primer then check out posts on the Blog.

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