Up and down its shores there’s a growing number of keen surfers waiting for these elusive moments of joy and that includes the Catalonian coastline, home of Barcelona. How sad it is then that the waves of one of the most cosmopolitan capitals of southern Europe are being jeopardized by the myopia of its City Council!

Surfing in Barcelona

Barcelona has many things going for it: it’s large but not huge, it enjoys a balmy Mediterranean climate and it has been at the forefront of fashion and design in Europe thanks to artists such as Gaudí, Miró and Picasso, who are closely linked with the town’s past. It is also the capital of Catalunya, an autonomous region within Spain that has its own language and traditions. The ‘92 Summer Olympic Games put Barcelona under the spotlight and the subsequent arrival of low-cost airlines has made Barcelona a town where many foreigners come for a weekend… or for a lifetime.

Then there’s the sea and the beaches: the majority of current beaches are artificial. Get any historic map and you’ll notice that there was only water where the Barceloneta –the neighbourhood by the fishing harbour- is today. Because of its geography, a necessary part of the city expansion has come from reclaiming land from the sea. Such is the case of the Barceloneta and its 1.3 km long expanse of sand comprising two beaches: Sant Sebastià (south end) and Barceloneta (north end). These two beaches protrude from the coastline and face East; a curse and a blessing.

Barceloneta on a classic day. How’s that within a 15m. walk from Las Ramblas!! Photo courtesy of  Joan Funkysurfing.

Surfing in Barcelona started in the mid eighties. Only a few pioneers surfed the Catalan coast before windsurfing, and especially funboarding (the most extreme type of windsurfing), became popular in the Med. The latter involves heavy winds and strong seas, normally associated with winter conditions. After only a couple of winters many young funboarders realized that the Med could also offer good surfing conditions and began riding –without sails- its waves regularly; a new tribe was formed. The coast of central Catalunya -from 40kms south of Barcelona to 40kms north – offers many different orientations for a wide range of different swell directions. This means up to 130 days of surf per year, mostly during the non-summer months. The best and bigger swells, though, come from the East/North East and it’s in these conditions when the beachbreaks of La Barceloneta get going. Besides, the sea platform gets fairly deep just offshore Barcelona which translates into seriously powerful waves. All this within a 15 minute underground, bus or bicycle ride from the city center and Las Ramblas.

Occasionally one of those 130 days happens during summer. Photo courtesy of Joan Funkysurfing.

SOS SURF BCN

The ’92 Olympic Games brought a total facelift to Barcelona. In a matter of months the rail track that hindered access to La Barceloneta from the city centre was buried, and the Olympic village was built by the long beach north of it. This was later split into several smaller beaches, with piers, and a marina was built. A lot of land was reclaimed from the sea… and the sea didn’t like it.

Pretty soon Barceloneta’s existing erosion problems got much worse. Some winters were so bad -or so good from the surfer’s point of view- that come spring there was very little sand left, and the City Council had to fill the beaches up again. This prompted the Barcelona City Council and Spain’s Ministry of Environment to design an extensive project of off-shore and underwater structures, intended to block the swell on all Barcelona beaches; Barceloneta included. Upon discovering this worrying news, several surfers formed the Associació Catalana de Surf (A.C.S.), which would end up having 500 paying members. In 2003 the A.C.S. approached the City Council to find out more about the project.

In spite of the piers – and the illegal hotels being built on public property-, the waves keep rolling in. Photo courtesy of Joan Funkysurfing.

The surfers were worried that the structures being planned might not accommodate their needs (some 3,000 in Catalunya, of whom 80% live in greater Barcelona). The A.C.S. maintained that the needs of the city and those of the surfers were easily compatible. Their proposed solution –a series of artificial reefs- would also highlight Barcelona’s reputation as a forward thinking town. After all, it is one of the very few European capitals with waves.

(come back next week for the second and last part)

Niegà

]]> http://www.driftsurfing.eu/index.php/archives/3807/feed 13 http://www.driftsurfing.eu/index.php/archives/2746 http://www.driftsurfing.eu/index.php/archives/2746#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:31:44 +0000 Angela http://www.driftsurfing.eu/?p=2746 This Tuesday 20 October at 7.30pm the film ‘Message in the Waves’ will be screened at Holy Trinity Church in Hotwells, and local resident Andy Murray, who produced the film, will be in discussion afterwards.

The film focuses on the problem of plastic litter in the oceans surrounding Hawai’i. About four-fifths of marine litter comes from land, swept by wind or washed by rain off highways and city streets, down streams and rivers, and out to sea. Nearly 90% of floating marine litter is plastic.

There are plenty more shocking statistics about our wasteful relationship with plastic on the film’s website, as well as plenty of information about the filmmakers (from the BBC’s acclaimed Natural History Unit), and action you can take to help clean up the world’s waters.

And if you want to take the message to your local community, you can also download the complete film.

Yesterday Surfers Against Sewage’s (SAS) Scottish representative Alasdair Steele was joined on Pease Bay beach by local surfers and MSP John Lamont, to warn waveriders of the potential increased health risk at Pease Bay as Scottish Water reduce the levels of sewage treatment from September 15th.

4 weeks ago SAS unveiled a straw poll to the local waveriding community in Pease Bay. In just 4 weeks over 200 people have committed to using the sea at Pease outside the bathing season and joined the SAS call for full year round sewage treatment.

Scottish Water’s treatment works at Cove, near Pease Bay, is permitted to reduce levels of sewage treatment from full ‘tertiary’ treatment to ‘secondary’ treatment. Resulting in a huge increase in potentially harmfully pathogens entering the sea, a real health concern for local waveriders. Especially as Pease receives its best surf during this period. With new wetsuit technology, even on the coldest winter day surfers can enjoy the surf for hours on end.

The waveriders who have committed to using Pease Bay outside the bathing season estimate they will use the sea a combined total of total of 4,206 times from the 15th of September 2009 until the 15th of May 2010. Because of the nature of these water sports, surfers and waveriders are 3 times more likely to contract Hepatitis A, from sewage polluted waters than the average bather due to increased immersion and ingestion.

In 2008 SAS secured a victory on a similar campaign in England, when Northumbrian Water applied to reduce levels of sewage treatment outside the bathing season. Largely due to SAS’s hard fought campaign, the Environment Agency (EA) stipulated that sewage treatment could only be reduced outside the bathing season when the water company can prove an absence of water users and an absence of impacts on water quality. SAS believe this is a strong precedent and that Scottish water users deserve the same levels of protection.

SAS are calling on Scottish Ministers to recommend to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) that Scottish Waters keep their sewage treatment works at Cove at a tertiary level, whilst a robust survey of recreational water usage at Pease outside the bathing season is undertaken.

SAS’s Campaign Manger Andy Cummins says: “SAS are urging Scottish Ministers to ensure SEPA deliver the same levels of protection English and Welsh waveriders enjoy and ensure that Scottish Water’s discharge doesn’t impact on popular beaches.”

SAS’s Edinburgh Rep Alasdair Steele says: “Pease Bay has a huge community of surfers and receives great surf, especially outside the bathing season. This is when we need full sewage treatment to protect waveriders from potentially harmful bacteria and viruses.”

The Panorama programme raised interesting points, but it didn’t give the full picture and a lot of the information that the Environment Agency provided to the BBC was left out.

This film was produced to provide important information about bathing water that people need to know:

You may also be interested to know that we are setting up a cleaner seas forum - and inviting surfers, swimmers, councils, farmers, water companies and pressure groups to come together to identify the bathing waters where further improvements are still needed and work together to achieve them.

We’ve watched the film, but it doesn’t really address any of the points raised in our forum or on the BBC. The film really seems to express a sense of injustice in the BBC’s handling of the facts, and insists that water quality is still safe, tested with modern methods and that the Victorian design is acceptable in 2009.

Is it not time for all these parties to come together and discuss these contradictory points?

We’ve approached the Environment Agency, if we hear back I will propose that Panorama, EA and SAS meet to discuss, instead of playing PR ping pong through the media.

However, we did hear back from BBC Panorama’s Derren Lawford, who gave me this information:

Just to recap, the BBC’s Have Your Say debates close after discernible interest in a subject tail off. If however you feel people would like somewhere to continue commenting on our programme, then the best place is the Panorama blog, beneath this recent post:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/panorama/2009/09/britains_dirty_beaches_update.html

The full programme itself is still available to watch online for the next 12 months here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mg5cg

There is also a wealth of extra content relating to this issue on the Panorama website including here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8236000/8236957.stm

And last but not least, we commissioned a map of the UK beaches listed in the Good Beach Guide which are known to have a Combined Sewage Overspill nearby:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8234000/8234631.stm

Hope that’s all useful. If you need to know any more please get in touch again and either myself or a member of the production team will be happy to help.

Thoughts on this? Discuss them in our forum

“We won the Observer Ethical Award last year and that was a milestone for us, in terms of what six people in a little workshop can do. To be recognized for the RSPCA Good Business Awards take it all that much further, we’re absolutely stoked to have been chosen as one of the finalists’, said Tom Kay – Finisterre Founder.

One of the judges3, designer Wayne Hemingway, says: “We are genuinely impressed by the calibre of entries this year, not only from the smaller, ethically minded companies but also from the growing number of high street retailers who are listening to customers and making huge steps forward for animal welfare.

“When retailers on this scale address these issues, you really do have to be hopeful that we have reached a tipping point and the world is starting to listen.”

Fashion finalists for the 2009 Good Business Awards (in alphabetical order) are:

Large Company

• George @ ASDA: They have implemented a complete ban on the use of fur in all clothing and product ranges. They also have a clear labeling policy for fake fur garments. The firm continues to test and sample products that come through their suppliers to check that no mixed fur products are used and have set up a suppliers workgroup.
• M&S: For an ongoing commitment to animal welfare. Their statement is that animals should not be bred and slaughtered specifically for the purpose of producing non-food products. As well as a ban on selling fur, their aim is to source 100% non-mulesed wool by 2012. They are also looking into setting their own minimum standards for feather and down.
• New Look: This prominent high street brand has implemented a no fur policy which requires new suppliers to sign their Animal Welfare policy and adhere to it. The company is also keen to further develop its leather-sourcing monitoring so it will be able to provide clearer labeling information. They are also trialling sustainable fabrics including fabric made from bamboo, recycled plastic bottles and an organic cotton range.
• Tesco: The company are working in partnership with Defra via their Sustainable Clothing Action Plan. They do not use any real fur and all faux fur is clearly labeled on garment care labels. One interesting scheme is their E-leather footware range that uses recycled leather.

Small Company

• Finisterre: For the company’s no mulesing policy and their sourcing of merino fabrics. They are also looking to source feathers from a free range sourcing programme in Poland. Finisterre believes in communicating with its customers so they can make informed buying decisions.
• Izzy Lane: For an ongoing commitment to animal welfare. Isobel’s flock of sheep were rescued as lambs from slaughter and live on the farm in North Yorkshire. Their wool is used to create a stylish fashion collection, helping to support a network of rural handknitters.
• Neon Collective: A high end ethical fashion store that offers a range of vegan designed shoes, handbags and accessories which are completely free of all animal-derived products. The company also has ethical policies on pollution, recycling and packaging helping to create a mantra of ‘responsible luxury’.

David Bowles, Head of External Affairs for the RSPCA says: “We have had a record quality and quantity of entries to this year’s fashion category – a clear indication that companies are responding to the shift away from disposable fashion and towards responsible consumerism.

“Shoppers want to feel assured about the animal welfare credentials of the items they buy and therefore it is great to see some of the biggest fashion brands on the high street on this year’s shortlist. These companies, who are striving to implement exceptional welfare standards, deserve our recognition as they set the standard for others to work towards.”

The RSPCA Good Business Awards gala ceremony will be held at One Marylebone, London on Wednesday 7 October 2009. Tickets for the awards ceremony are available by contacting the RSPCA Good Business Awards team on 0300 123 0488 or awards@rspca.org.uk or online: www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com
www.finisterreuk.com

Whether its holidaying families bellyboarding in the shallows, weekend warriors eager to cram every available wave in to their 48 hour break, or locals who’ve done their winter penance for a taste of warm water and sunshine, everyone on the beach is here for one thing – to enjoy the water and soak up the rays. The scent of Ambre Solaire and Hawaiian Tropic hangs heavy in the air, a chemical juxtaposition matched only by the whited-out noses and cheeks of the cautious few.

My own lackadaisical attitude has left me typing this with skin that’s more than a little painful to touch but with reddened cheeks has come a curiosity about sun tan lotion that needs sating. Sure it has a positive effect on our skin, staving off the burn and protecting us from the threat of skin cancer, but what about its effect on the environment?

In the UK, £146 million is spent on sun cream each year and with over half a million surfers in the UK – not to mention the millions of other beach goers splashing about in the shallows – that’s a hell of a lot of the white stuff washing off in our waves. And it’s taking its toll. A study in California, where bare-skinned surfers populate the ocean day in day out, found that two thirds of male turbot and sole off the coast of Huntingdon Beach were growing ovary tissue in their testes. The only culprit The University of California scientists could ‘exclusively identify’ was oxybenzone, a chemical used to protect the skin from the ultraviolet component of sunlight. That’s right folks; the stuff we apply liberally before paddling out can have gender bending effects on fish.

What’s more, recent Swiss research shows that other ingredients found in sunscreen and lip balm – octocrylene and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor – build up alarmingly in fish and could have similar sex changing effects. On top of that a new study commissioned by the European Commission found that seven of the 20 compounds which act as UV filters in sunscreen have negative effects on coral, bleaching and destroying the organism, in fact in some parts of the world, wearing the chemical loaded lotion is banned altogether.

However, with 100,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed in Britain each year and the risk of burning so much higher if you’re hanging out in the water for hours on end, giving sun tan lotion a miss for the sake of the fish is certainly not an option.

Luckily, there’s a solution. Seven years ago scientists at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory started working on a project with Boots Company PLC looking at a potential natural sources of sun protection, from tiny floating plants, or phytoplankton. Other companies started looking into using natural mineral titanium dioxide and since then a whole range of natural sunscreens have come onto the market which don’t allow damage to the environment, or your skin.

To help you decide which product is best for The Environmental Working Group has developed a database where you can see the effect that your brand of choice has on your skin and surroundings.

Sitting here weighing up the pleasure of a prospective after work wave against the red raw pain of my feet I’ve certainly learned my lesson, but seeing as  I don’t want a  slew of transgender sole on my conscience it’s all natural all the way for me, from now on. Bring on the algae…