Our History

40 years ago a group of surfers from Malibu, California, were concerned about the health risks associated with environmental threats posed by escalating coastal development at their favorite surf spot. They took action. Not even they could have envisioned the history they were making when they succeeded in protecting their beloved surf spot.

Since its inception in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation has evolved into one of the largest non-profit grassroots organizations with a volunteer-activist network dedicated to its mission to protect and enjoy the world's oceans, waves and beaches.

Today, the Surfrider Foundation is measurably stronger, with more force and movement than ever before. It has over 200 chapters and student clubs and countless supporters, volunteers and activists fighting over 100 active campaigns around the country. Armed with a model to defend the coast, the organization has a record of over 900 victories since 2006.

Filled with times of uncertainty, it hasn’t been easy. The Surfrider Foundation’s long-term success and growth is a tribute to its founders vision, that taking on an environmental battle may not be easy, but with constant pressure, endlessly applied, it can be won.

Tom Pratte

Glenn Hening 1978

Lance Carson

The Surfrider Foundation was founded by Glenn Hening, Lance Carson, Tom Pratte, Dan Young, Chris Blakely & Steve Merrill in Malibu, CA.

The Surfrider Foundation was founded by Glenn Hening, Lance Carson, Tom Pratte, Dan Young, Chris Blakely, Steve Merrill and a group of surfers who were concerned about the environmental threats posed by escalating coastal development at their favorite surf break, Surfrider Beach in Malibu, California.

Relentless, the group addressed the issues and presented solutions to California State Park officials at a public hearing in 1984. They won. And, little by little, they started chalking up successes and fighting battles that continue today.

On August 22, 1984 the Articles of Incorporation were filed with the State of California, signed by Glenn Hening as President.

Why the name Surfrider? Although it seems its obvious, Glenn Hening actually coined it “Surfrider” after the Surfrider Inn in Santa Monica, California. It was the hotel Hening stayed at when he was eight-years-old and first visited the west coast with his family.

Chapter Network Established

As the U.S. coasts continued to be threatened by dirty water, irresponsible coastal development, the loss of beach access and destruction of its ecosystems, the need for coastal preservation grew. The Surfrider Foundation's global headquarters staff in San Clemente, California, received more requests for help than they were able to process. Thus the Surfrider chapter network was established, with the first chapters chartered in Orange County and San Diego County, California.

MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean Series.

The Surfrider Foundation partnered with Surfdog Records to create a benefit album Music for our Mother Ocean (MOM); for which Pearl Jam, The Beastie Boys, Jewel, No Doubt, Sublime and the Ramones, among many others, contributed original songs. Its follow-up, MOM 2 (1997), included songs from The Offspring, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Jewel, 311, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Porno For Pyros. In 1999 MOM 3 debuted with songs by Snoop Dogg, Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Issak and Jane's Addiction. Pearl Jam graciously supported the launch of the (MOM) series recording the song “Gremmie Out of Control” for the compilation, and contributed “Whale Song” for the 1999 MOM 3 CD. In the end all three CDs raised more than $100,000 for the Foundation.

Surfrider Foundation launched several new programs:

Not the Answer: A program focusing on protecting the nation's coasts from the risky practice of offshore drilling through grassroots advocacy at the federal and state levels. Surfrider chapter efforts include participation in Hands Across the Sand, an annual event where citizens join hands at beaches around the world to say no to offshore drilling and yes to clean energy.
Ocean Friendly Gardens: An outreach program designed to reduce urban runoff and residential water consumption in communities.
Rise Above Plastics: An educational and outreach program designed to raise awareness of and reduce the amount of plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments.
Know Your H2O: A program designed to educate people on the link between freshwater management issues and its impact on the nations oceans, waves, and beaches.
Quad: A youth service program providing young people with an opportunity to start school clubs throughout the United States.
Beachapedia: A wiki-based coastal information resource drawing on expertise of Surfrider Foundation experts and activists.

The Rhode Island Surfrider Chapter helped save the popular surf break, Ruggles.

Ravaged by Sandy, the popular Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, is on deck for some hefty repairs, which called for placement of huge jetties…smack dab in the middle of one of New England's most popular surf breaks, off Ruggles Ave.

Surfrider Foundation's Rhode Island Chapter kept close tabs on the situation throughout the process, wagering a statement of concern regarding the jetties, attending meetings to review plans, and reporting out to the community. Rhode Island's Coastal Resource Management Council held a public meeting July 17, where lower impact, surfer-friendly plans for the Cliff Walk repair were discussed & approved!

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Along with many scientists, Native Hawaiians and environmental groups, Surfrider urged Pres. Obama to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Pres. Obama announced the expansion at the beginning of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which was held in Honolulu in early Sept. The expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Monument would increase the area of the sanctuary from approximately 139,800 square miles to possibly 639,300 square miles. Hawaii is now home to the largest marine protected area in the world!

Surfrider launches Ocean Friendly Restaurants Program

Plastic pollution is suffocating our ocean and the many animals that call it home. Researchers estimate there are now over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean with the number continuing to grow every day. This pollution is impacting our marine ecosystems, wildlife such as seabirds, dolphins, fish, and turtles, and plastic fragments are even displacing plankton at the base of the food chain. So what’s the best way to combat this global epidemic facing our ocean? It’s simple: we need to stop the problem at its source! The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants program does just that. One restaurant, one customer at a time, increases awareness, drives change in behavior and ultimately creates scalable impact to reduce our plastic (and water!) footprint. Learn more about the program here

Atlantic is protected from seismic blasting.

On January 6th, 2017, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced denial of all pending permit applications for seismic airgun blasting off the Mid- and South Atlantic coast. The decision is a huge victory for Surfrider Foundation's ongoing campaign to Protect the Atlantic coast from oil and gas development. While the Trump Administration is pushing for both seismic exploration and new offshore drilling again, BOEM's decison is great news for our marine ecosystem and Atlantic coastal communities.

Surfrider helps the community in Rincón Puerto Rico find clean water after Hurricane Maria.

In the days and weeks following Hurricane Maria, the Rincón Chapter’s Blue Water Task Force rallied to restart their water testing program in post-storm conditions to provide critical public health and water safety information for local communities.

When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico last fall, it knocked out the entire electrical grid and much of the island’s infrastructure, including roads, hospitals, water supply and telecommunications networks. Amazingly enough, over eight months later, there are still nearly 12,000 homes and businesses without power!

Although chapter volunteers were experiencing the same difficult post-storm conditions as the rest of the island, they were able to restart their water quality monitoring program by teaming up with other relief and health organizations. Watch this video to hear from our Surfrider volunteers themselves how they were able restart their program and empower communities to generate their own water quality information and protect their health.

Surfrider helps pass legislation that bans toxic chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate in sunscreens to protect coral reefs and human health.

In June, the state legislature passed the nation’s first ever statewide ban on sunscreens that contain chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are known to harm coral reefs and local fish. On July 3, the governor of Hawai'i signed this bill into law, which will require that every Hawaiian island stops selling sunscreen that contains these two chemicals by January 1, 2021.

The Surfrider Hawai'i chapters have been advocating for this type of coral reef protection for years. In 2016, Surfrider's Hawaii Chapters launched a statewide campaign to ban the toxic chemical oxybenzone. The Surfrider Foundation’s five chapters in Hawaii and our extensive network of supporters are concerned about the damage chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate are doing to our reef system, which annually generates about $800 million in gross revenues to the state of Hawaii. We are part of the Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, which was formed last year by concerned coral reef scientists, educators, government officials and environmental groups, and one of our top priorities is banning sunscreens with oxybenzone.

San francisco passes more than just a straw ban.

San Francisco passed the Plastic, Toxics and Litter Reduction Ordinance in August 2018 in response to the outcry against marine plastic pollution. After three years of groundwork by the Surfrider Foundation San Francisco Chapter and allies to raise awareness and build a movement to reduce the use of single-use plastic straws, San Francisco has adopted an ordinance that will ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastic and bio-plastic straws, utensils, stirrers and similar items, in addition to foodware containers that contain fluorinated chemicals.

The ordinance further requires that all single-use foodware and accessories must be compostable (accepted by the city’s composting program) or recyclable.

Surfrider’s “The United States and Oceans of America” campaign launches.

We urged the American people to join us to start a new fight. The fight to free our ocean and coasts. Our nation is made up of more water than land. America’s oceans cover nearly 4.5 million square miles, which is 23% greater than U.S. landmass. The coast is a top tourist destination with more than 100 million people visiting our nation’s beaches annually. In fact, coastal recreation and tourism constitute 2.2 million jobs and contribute $115 billion to the nation’s economy every year. But clean water and healthy beaches are increasingly threatened by plastic and ocean pollution, offshore oil drilling, rollbacks to federal protections, development and rising tides. We each have a stake in taking action to ensure the places where we surf, swim, play and live are protected for this and future generations. Together, we are the United States and Oceans of America

#DrillingisKilling

For those of us who love the coast, the negative impacts of offshore oil drilling are obvious. Offshore drilling has a proven track record of polluting the ocean, damaging coastal economies and threatening a way of life enjoyed by millions of people. To help set the record straight, Surfrider released a new short film with surf legend Rob Machado and surfer/ comedian, Tyler Allen, on the Trump administration’s plans for new offshore drilling and what this means for our ocean and coastal communities.Surfrider's network visits Washington D.C. to defend our nation's coasts! Over one hundred Surfrider Foundation members and recreation industry partners traveled to Washington D.C. on February 28 – March 1st to meet with federal leaders about ways to protect our ocean, waves, and beaches. Learn more here.

Florida’s Toxic Algae Crisis

In 2019, Florida experienced some of the most severe harmful algal blooms on record, with toxic red tides and blue-green algae suffocating the coastlines.Florida is well-known for its year-round warm climate and beautiful, sandy beaches. While beach tourism drives the state’s economy, people who visit and live in the Sunshine State are losing the long-standing recreational opportunities that they cherish. Ongoing water pollution and harmful algal blooms, including red tides and toxic blue-green algae, are putting public health at risk and causing massive die-offs of fish, marine life and sea turtles.

Surfrider foundation believes that everybody deserves access to clean water to surf, swim, and play in.

The Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is Surfrider’s citizen science water testing program that provides critical water quality information to protect public health at the beach.

Annually, the Blue Water Task Force:

Runs 55 Active Water Testing Labs
Tests 480+ Beaches
Collects 7500+ Samples

We are happy to present this freshly released film to share the stories of our BWTF volunteers nationwide.

U.S. Supreme Court Delivers Victory for the Clean Water Act!

Surfrider Foundation and our co-plaintiffs in the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui case are celebrating an important victory today with the decision to protect water quality and the intent of the Clean Water Act by the United States Supreme Court. In a 6-3 ruling, the majority of the court refused to allow a large loophole in the Act and found that liability for pollution exists “when there is direct discharge from a point source into navigable waters or when there is the functional equivalent of a direct discharge.”

Congress passes historic legislation to protect public lands!

Surfrider and our conservation partners across America joyfully celebrated this victory because we have been working for years to fund the LWCF. The Great American Outdoors Act finally ‘makes the LWCF whole’ by fully funding the program, as originally intended by President Kennedy in 1965.

When President Kennedy signed the LWCF into law, his vision was based on a simple concept: take revenues from offshore oil and gas production to protect parks, open spaces, sensitive habitat and to improve recreational opportunities across the U.S. Surfrider is adamantly opposed to new offshore drilling, but we believe it makes sense to direct a percentage of royalties from leases issued in the past to help support conservation. Unfortunately, the program has never been fully funded over the past 55 years.

15 years, thousands of activists, one goal — save Trestles forever.

After a marathon campaign of more than 15 years, the battle to Save Trestles came to fruition today when Governor Newsom signed AB 1426 into law. This new legislation will protect San Onofre State Beach and Trestles from any type of road construction.

The valiant effort to Save Trestles has been a long and winding road (no pun intended). The first step in this battle was the formation of our mighty Save San Onofre Coalition (SSOC), which represents millions of people from local and national organizations. In 2005, SSOC first came together when over 1,000 activists showed up at a Parks and Recreation Commission hearing to speak out against a six-lane toll road that would have cut through San Onofre State Beach — damaging the last remaining undeveloped watershed in southern California, the world-famous surf break at Trestles Beach, multiple endangered species, and sacred Indigenous sites. Learn more here.

California Passes Four Precedent-Setting Bills to Fight Plastic Pollution

The Surfrider Foundation worked closely with the bill co-sponsors, allies and coalitions to advocate for these momentous bills. All four were signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 5, 2021.

#SB343 (Allen) is a historic bill as the nation's strongest law to prevent deceptive recyclable labeling.
#AB881 (Gonzelez) closes the loophole in California law that enables exported mixed plastic waste to be deemed recycled even when it is landfilled, burned, dumped, or otherwise improperly managed.
#AB1276 (Carrillo) expands the straw upon request law to include other single-use food accessories such as plates, cups, utensils, and condiments to be given to consumers only upon request.
#AB962 (Kamlager) creates returnable bottle systems in California to preserve bottles so that they can be washed and refilled by beverage producers rather than being crushed for recycling.

Orange County Oil Spill

On Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 an estimated 126,000 gallons of oil spilled when a pipeline broke approximately 4 miles off the coast near an offshore drilling platform. The spill resulted in a 13-mile wide oil slick off the coast of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach and further illustrates why offshore drilling is not the answer.

Surfrider engaged the public through SMS messaging and our network to bring vital updates on the cleanup efforts and subsequent passing of a resolution in Huntington Beach to officially oppose the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling.

U.S Steel Win

In 2018, Surfrider sued U.S. Steel for discharging nearly 300 pounds of toxic hexavalent chromium into Lake Michigan, near a popular surf break. This prompted U.S. and state regulators to also file suit, and Surfrider intervened in that case, while our initial lawsuit was put on pause. That case ultimately settled last August, and after years of Surfrider’s participation (which involved filing briefs with hundreds of pages of exhibits, and expert statements, and support from @chicago_surfrider activists), in addition to roughly $600,000 in penalties, U.S. Steel agreed to implement a new water quality monitoring project and improved public notification requirements in order to better inform the public of health concerns in the event of water pollution.

Surfrider Launches the First Global Marketing Campaign Titled "The Ocean Needs More Friends"

The ocean makes up most of our planet, and plays a crucial role in our health and survival. Unfortunately this precious resource has been abused by humans for far too long. And now, more than ever, the ocean needs more friends.

The goal of The Ocean Needs More Friends campaign is to rally 1 million friends of the ocean to fight plastic pollution and climate change so our ocean, waves and beaches are protected for generations to come.

Launched in May of 2023, this marketing campaign is a global effort with support from Surfrider global affiliates in Japan, Australia, Europe and Canada.

Since Surfrider’s first iconic win in 1984 to defend Malibu’s famed surfing break, the organization has worked to preserve the ocean, waves and beaches through a powerful network of volunteers.

Today Surfrider has over 200 chapters and student clubs and more than 1 million supporters, volunteers and activists fighting over 100 active campaigns around the country. Armed with a model to defend the coast, since the Surfrider Foundation started counting victories in 2006, it has won over 900 victories (and counting).

Protect what you love today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

Our History

Constant Pressure, Endlessly Applied

Part one

The Surfrider Foundation is Born

1984

Part two

Evolution of the Chapter Network

1985

1987

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

By 1995 Surfrider has 28 total chapters.

Part three

Impact and Awareness

1996

1997

1998

2000

2002

2003

2004

2005

By 2005 Surfrider has 62 total chapters.

Part FOUR

Living and Growing in a Digital Age

2006

2006-Present: Living and Growing in a Digital Age

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Part FIVE

A Quantum Leap Forward

2020

2021

2022

2023

Today