How to Be a Greener Surfer?

Trinity University Surfing Club
Dec 9, 2022
1 min read

Updated: Dec 10, 2022

Surfing is a nautical sport and could be considered an activity connected to nature. However, nowadays pollution is everywhere, in the air, the ground and in the sea. Every surfer who loves the sea should know how to respect it. How to adopt a greener behaviour?

It is important to know that non-sustainable products are used in surf equipment: boards, wetsuits, waxes and accessories.

Surfboards

Surfboards are made of polyurethane foam and polyester resin. These components are non-biodegradable nor recyclable. But you now can find greener boards which are constructed from recycled products and plant-based materials.

Photo by Chelsey Horne:

Brands like Nomads create greener surfboards and surf accessories. Speaking about their surfboards: ‘We use 25% recycled materials and the foam is also fully recyclable. Our resin is 40% plant-based; and we combine it with natural fibres such as flax and basalt’.

Wetsuits

Wetsuits are made from neoprene which is a kind of rubber. This material is non-biodegradable and the gas from production is toxic, it can be very toxic if heated!

Photo by Edouard Chassaigne

But hopefully, you can find a sustainable alternative to neoprene. brands like Patagonia or Srface sell wetsuits free from neoprene. They are made of Yulex® a natural rubber.

Accessories

Additionally, surf-related products such as surf wax and sunscreen also contain non-environmentally-friendly materials. Buying biodegradable sunscreen and surf wax reduces your impact on the environment.

Photo by AdoreBeautyNZ on Pixabay

Clean-up Actions

One last and important note if you want to be greener without spending too much money, you can take part in beach clean-up actions. And always bin your rubbish!