Issues
The latest environmental issues and how you can get involved and help reach a solution.
Fisheries New Zealand is asking for feedback on proposed fisheries measures to further protect South Island Hector’s dolphins. Hector’s are the small wee dolphins that love to surf and hang out with humans – especially kids. An encounter with a Hector’s dolphin will brighten up anyone’s day, but they need......
New Zealand records its first Delta variant cases and is plunged back into lockdown mode at the highest level, which makes surfing illegal. Level 4 is a frustrating situation to find ourselves in once again, but unlike our first lockdown back in March 2020, the rules around surfing are very......
Despite an increase in shark sightings and one fatality this summer in New Zealand, the future of our shark populations has long had marine scientists concerned. Now, the results of a new Nature study show just how grim things really are. Marine biologist Melissa Cristina Márquez, also known as the......
They can rattle even the most hardcore surfer with their lunges and antics, but according to Department of Conservation Coastal Otago ranger Jim Fyfe, we’re reading them all wrong. Jim explains how we can co-exist in the waves … In this short film (see below) Jim Fyfe shares his wisdom......
Monster waves in the Southern Ocean could grow even bigger and more frequent under climate change, scientists warn. Science journalist Jamie Morton explains what’s going on in the southern latitudes storm engine. Extreme waves in the wild and windswept ocean below New Zealand, stretching across notorious latitudes dubbed the “roaring......
Momentum for the environment may be building painstakingly slowly within the surf industry, but not for the three New Zealanders driving Spooked Kooks recycled surfboards out of Bondi. It was during a morning session at Sandy Bay, that I had my first encounter with a Dead Hippy. It was under......
In an unprecedented move for a global professional sports body, World Surf League has today committed to becoming carbon neutral and eliminating single-use plastics by the end of 2019. This announcement adds further weight to the WSL’s existing ocean conservation efforts. Those efforts include WSL Pure, its non-profit arm, which......
The Great Australian Bight is one of Australia’s least known stretches of wilderness. It is a cauldron of unsung natural treasures, biodiversity, landscapes and waves. A pristine wilderness, it is one of the world’s last unexploited areas and home to thriving coastal communities, whale sanctuaries and more unique marine life......
Early last year, Sea Shepherd Australia invited scientists from the South Australian Government to accompany them on a science expedition aboard the M/Y Steve Irwin to the Investigator Marine Park. This was the first-of-its-kind partnership with The South Australian Department of Environment and Water. What they discovered was a compelling......
Chasing waves on Enderby Island starts with getting to know the locals. They’re furry and blanket the place like lolling beach bums of the south. A little respect (and a lot of patience) will go a long way in this remote part of the Southern Ocean perched on the western......