Federal government approves first wave powered project off Oregon coast

The wave park will include 10 buoys stringed together and linked to the coast through an underwater power cable. It is the result of six years of far-sighted research and development, and $10 million of funding. From One World One Ocean: Last month, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the country’s first commercial wave …

Join 600,000 global volunteers – Coastal Cleanup Day, Sep 15, 2012

For 25 years volunteers have gathered together for Coastal Cleanup Day. The annual event takes place this year on the morning of September 15, 2012. To volunteer in California visit the California Coastal Commission. For anywhere else visit International Coastal Cleanup. You can also take a pledge to keep our waters trash free, and follow …

West Coast Great White Sharks are endangered – population around 340

A group of environmentalists have petitioned the federal government to put West Coast Great White Sharks as an endangered species. From an L.A. Times article: The northeastern Pacific Ocean population of great whites is genetically distinct and in danger of extinction, according to the petition. Researchers have estimated that there are about 340 individuals in …

Pier to Pier Quest – surfers marathon, 20 miles on the beach – running, climbing, and swimming

Finally, a marathon for me. Called the Pier to Pier Quest, it is a run/swim along the coast from one pier in the south to another in the north, approximately 20 miles. You run on the sand, swim around coves, climb rocks, traverse the harbor, and finish with an ice cream on the pier. The …

Amazing overhead shots of the U.S. open of Surfing in Huntington Beach

Surfer magazine has posted 16 amazingly large overhead shots of the U.S. Open of Surfing and the Orange County coastline. Here is one of them, mightily shrunk:     See the rest – Above the Open – an oddly serene look at the U.S. Open

Maps of Southern California’s – Marine Protected Areas

A map of all the Southern California MPA’s (marine protected areas), defined as: A space in the ocean where human activities are more strictly regulated than the surrounding waters – similar to parks we have on land. They are supposed to form a network of safe areas for marine life ro repopulate and bring back …

As environmental regulations boost seal populations in New England – great whites return as well

This week, several great white sharks were spotted off the coast of Chatham, Mass., and two more near Cape Cod were swimming just 30 feet from the shore. One of the sharks was measured at 12 to 15 feet. The summer months induce a chain reaction for shark sightings: Warm ocean temperatures entice more gray …

Liberia joins the ISA and becomes the next great place to surf

Liberia is working toward a future removed from its troubled past – and doing so, partly, through surfing. Eight years removed from its last civil war, the country has a growing tourism industry, part of which circulates around its 350 miles of pristine, white-sand coastline in Western Africa. It was for that reason and the …

California creates a science-based series of underwater parks

You normally think of parks as being places to walk or ride around.  But on January 1, 2012, Southern California celebrated the grand opening of a series of underwater parks, or “marine protected areas,” that includes wildlife hot spots such as the La Jolla kelp forest, Laguna tidepools, and Catalina Island coral gardens. These parks will …