Bass Strait – The Everest of the Sea! Ocean paddle Fundraiser

Surfrider Foundation Australia are proud to support ‘Bass Strait, The Everest of the Sea!’ surf ski expedition.

Starting on Saturday 3 April, 2010, Jarad Kohlar of Peak Adventure, Melbourne, Victoria, will be leading a group of paddlers who will become the first people to cross Bass Strait by racing surf skis. Jarad has an extensive knowledge of ocean paddling, having already crossed Bass Strait two times in a sea kayak, including via the notoriously difficult western route.

Ocean kayak

The direction of paddle may be Vic to Tas or Tas to Vic, wind-dependent. Camping on islands as they go, the paddlers will also participate in the Surfrider Foundation Australia National Marine Debris Initiative by cleaning beaches as they go, and monitoring what they pick up.

Bass strait crossing

The initiative aims at empowering individuals and community groups to adopt their local stretch of coast and work on proactive ways or removing and reducing the amount of marine debris impacting their marine ecosystem through beach cleanups, counting and monitoring their rubbish and community education.

“During this expedition, we will be paddling for up to 8 hours per day, then landing on a beach on one of Bass Strait’s many beautiful islands to set up camp. After dinner, each of us will then spend an hour picking up all the rubbish we can find on the beach and in the dunes, then recording what we’ve collected and advising Surfrider of the results. We’re running a sweep amongst the team of 8 paddlers to guess how many large bags full of rubbish we’ll end up with at the end of the expedition. The person who’s the furthest from the correct answer gets the job of carting all the rubbish to the dump at the end of the trip!”

Jarad and his crew are proud to fundraise for Surfrider Foundation Australia, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of Australia’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through CARE: Conservation, Activism, Research and Education.

“We really don’t know how lucky we are in this country to have such beautiful beaches and coastal environs, but many of these beautiful beaches are littered with plastic bags, bottles and other rubbish. Even worse, this rubbish often creates deadly traps for birds, fish, crabs/crayfish and other marine life. Next time you head to your local beach, take a plastic bag with you and see how long it takes to fill it up with rubbish. Surfrider Foundation is doing an amazing job in leading the way with its beach conservation and community education campaigns, and I am very proud to be using this expedition to raise much needed $ for Surfrider.”

Surfrider Foundation was founded in Australia in 1992. In Victoria, there are currently active Branches and Beach reps in Torquay, Gippsland, Mornington Peninsula, Warnambool, Port Fairy and Melbourne. Recent activities in Victoria include 2009’s Save Bastion Point campaign. Regular dune care and beach cleanups occur monthly, and many Surfrider Branch members are active on local council and government committees, representing our organisation and our cause.

Direct Deposit Donations:
Please include “Operational Budget” or “Fund” in your deposit description.

Account Name: Surfrider Foundation
Account No: 87 340 7432
BSB: 084 618