Criteria for an ‘Endangered Wave’

1. Coastal developments, such as breakwalls, seawalls, buildings, roads, ports, dredging, or coastal management works that cause changes to reefs, sand flows, beach shape, currents or swell.
2. Accessibility or Overcrowding, caused by too much or too little public access to the beach. This can result from private or public developments, such as badly planned tourism resorts, mines, infrastructure (eg. Desalination plants), defence land or farming land. This might close waves to the public or make ‘wilderness breaks’ too accessible, in both cases damaging the surf experience.
3. Polluted Water quality from sewage or stormwater outfalls, poor development, industrial and agricultural run-off, or badly managed rivers and natural catchment areas.
4. Visual Amenity (as seen from the shore and from the surf). The view from the surf is undervalued in most planning decisions and is spoiled by ridgeline developments and beachfront invasions. Surfers equally value what they see from the sea, as well as from the shore.
5. Ecosystem Threats, where the environmental integrity of the surfbreak is threatened, or areas adjacent to it, causing risk to aquatic or terrestrial life. For example over-use by fisherman, surfers, divers, hikers, 4WDs or tourists may necessitate legal protection and safeguards.
6. Climate Change will play havoc with surf breaks and the shape of the coast itself, tempting governments to propose physical barriers and limit access.  Rising sea levels and water temperatures will also change tides, currents, swell, banks and the weather that defines the ideal window for each surf break. Surfers will see gains and losses, but most of all, uncertainty.

The threat must be identifiable and imminent and within what is regarded as a reasonable proximity to the break to warrant Surfrider Foundation listing it as an Endangered Wave.
Defined by Surfrider Foundation Australia, April 2012.

Nominate Your Endangered Waves
If you know of a threat to a wave that meets the Criteria please email your nomination, why it is an imminent threat, and possible solutions, to Surfrider (info@surfrider.org.au). This will be reviewed against the criteria by our Panel.
It is our hope that this process will shine a light on our coast.