World Surfing Reserves was established following a meeting in December 2008 at Half Moon Bay, California, hosted by Save the Waves (STW). At that meeting Brad Farmer, then Chair of National Surfing Reserves (Australia) (NSR) proposed the establishment of World Surfing Reserves, based on the successful Australian NSR model. This was taken up by STW forming a partnership with NSR to develop the criteria and structure of WSR’s. The first call for nominations for WSR’s occurred in March 2009. NSR’s Brad Farmer and Andy Short served on the WSR Executive Committee during this period, stepping down in 2014. NSR remains, however, a co-founder and partner in WSR.
WSR’s are administered by Save The Waves and are aimed at protecting outstanding surf breaks around the world.
WSR’s is one of STW’s flagship programs that proactively identifies, designates and preserves outstanding waves, surf zones and their surrounding environments around the world. WSRs represent a global network of designated surfing reserves that are managed, implemented, and protected by local communities.
Current WSR’s include;
- 1. Malibu, USA, 2010
- 2. Ericeria, Portugal, 2011
- 3. Manly, Australia, 2012
- 4. Santa Cruz, USA, 2012
- 5. Huanchaco, Peru, 2013
- 6. Bahia de Todos, Mexico, 2014
- 7. Pinta do Lobos, Chile, 2017
- 8. Gold Coast, Australia, 2016
- 9. Guarda do Embaú, Brazil, 2017
- 10. Noosa Heads, Australia, 2020
- 11. Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, 2022
- 12. North Devon, UK, 2023
Nominate a Surfing Reserve
Does you local beach deserve to be nominated as a Surfing Reserve?
