$URF ECONOMIC$

We have moved

2011-12-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

The Surf Economics blog has been incorporated in the Sufrider Foundation's Coastal Blog under the tag: Surf Protection.

You can find the posts here.

Protecting Peruvian Waves

2010-12-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

Learn more here.

Surf Protection, World Surfing Reserves, Malibu and other Case Studies

2010-10-27T06:03:00.001-07:00

Big Day, Small Board: Erik "Frog" Nelsen dropping in at Cloudbreak, one of the world's iconic waves.

On October 9th, Malibu's famous Surfrider beach surfing areas was dedicated as the world's first World Surfing Reserve - an ambitious effort by a small NGO called Save the Waves.

The idea of protecting surfing areas and providing our iconic surfing spots around the globe protected status is something that is shared my many surfers as well as other NGO's that protect surf spots including the Surfrider Foundation USA, Europe, Japan, Argentina, Canada, WildCoast, Surfers Against Sewage, and others.

Here's a recent presentation I have on the topic of surf protection, the role of world surfing reserves in protecting surfing areas and some examples of surf protection efforts.

Surf Protection & World Surfing Reserves from Surfrider Foundation on Vimeo.

You can view and/or download the presentation here (Keynote).

In addition here are a couple of recent articles discussing surfing reserves:

A critique of Malibu's world surfing reserve designation here.

An essay by Neil Lazarow entitled, "What is a Surfing Reserve and why should surfers care about them?"

Perfect Anecdote: the wave value is so high...

2010-10-23T10:25:00.001-07:00

Photo by TKO:

File Under: Perfect Anecdote

The other day, I was walking down to Trestles for a lunch time surf (in the name of research of course!) and I had a nice chat with a guy who had cut out of work early to surf. He was from Manhattan Beach - so he had driven over 60 miles (one way) and then committed to the 20 minute walk down to the surf. We talked about quality of the waves, the crowds, etc. In response to the discussion about the crowds he said, "you may only get a couple of waves, but the wave value is so high that it's worth it".

So this guy was willing to drive 120 miles round trip, give up 1/2 a day of work, walk 40 minutes round trip, and brave the crowds at Trestles for a couple of hours in the water - all for one or two waves, because the value of those waves was so high - they were so much fun- it made it all worth it.

Waves are Resources: WAR report from Surfer's Against Sewage

2010-09-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Surfer's Against Sewage released a new report called "Waves are Resources (WAR)".

The comprehensive report covers the basic physics of wave formation and breaking, efforts to value waves, activities that can impact waves (structures, dredging, pollution, oil spills, sewage, etc.), emerging efforts to generate power from waves and some of the efforts to protect waves, including World Surfing Reserves.

You can download and read the report here.

2010-09-08T07:26:00.001-07:00

California World Ocean: Shoreline Armoring and the Ocean Economy

View more presentations from cnelsen.

Gulf Coast Surfers Are Suffering, Too — And Health Risks Are Unclear

2010-08-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

“You can’t see the oil anymore, but you can taste it,” said Mcelroy, who surfed again last week and whose surf shop is down over 70% in business from last year since tourism in Alabama is almost nonexistent.

Gulf coast surfers and surf-related business are suffering despite good surf conditions.

When surfing was closed along a mere 14 miles of coast for 34 days in Huntington Beach due to the American Trader oil spill, the value of the lost recreational opportunity (beach going & surfing) was valued at $18 million.

Read more here...

Five reasons why surfers are more likely to get sick from polluted ocean water than beach goers

2010-07-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

Any surfer who has leaned over to pick something up a few hours after surfing, only to suffer the embarrassment of having their nose drain all over the place, is a walking illustration of just how much ocean water surfers are exposed to when practicing their sport.

Here's a list of five reasons why surfers are more likely to get sick from polluted ocean water than other beach goers:

1. Surfers go to the beach & go in the ocean more than other beach goers

According to the 2001 Current Participation Patterns in Marine Recreation study, beach goers average 14 visits per year; in the same study surfers averaged 23 visits per year (Leeworthy and Wiley 2001).

Other studies in Oregon, California, and a national survey suggest surfer avidity is much higher. In Oregon, the average avidity was 77 visits/year (Stone et al. 2008). At Trestles, we found an average avidity of 109 visits/year (Nelsen et al. 2007). A pending Surf-First study found a average national avidity of 108 visits (unpublished).

2. Surfers recreate year round

Studies and common knowledge show that beach going is highly seasonal. Most visit occur during the summer months. Often more than half of the total visits occur during the 3 months of summer. In contrast, surfers tend to visit beaches and enter the water year round. In some places, surfers are the predominant beach visitor during winter months. This is significant because in the northern latitudes, winters tend to be more rainy than summer months, which increases the exposure to storm water runoff.

3. Every visit to the beach to surf results in full immersion in the ocean

According to Dwight et al. (2007) less than half of Southern California beach goers are exposed to ocean waters. And of those that are, many are not fully immersed in the water. Surfers, on the other hand, are fully immersed while surfing (see photo). This increases their exposure to pathogens if the water is polluted.

4. Surfers probably spend more time in the water on each visit

Surfers tend to surf between 1.5 and 2 hours surfing during each visit. Although I am not aware of any data, my guess is that this is longer than most beach goers spend in the water, with the exception of some kids who seem to spend the whole day in the water (especially in places where the water is warm).

5. As a result of the above, surfers ingest 10 times more water than swimmers or divers

As summarized here, surfers tend to ingest 10 times more water than swimmers or divers. To their exposure to pathogens in the water is much higher than other groups. The repeated, full and sometimes violent immersion in the ocean that surfer experience increases ingestion and water getting forced into the sinuses (thus the delayed nose drip).

Conclusion

The combination of more days of exposure, during some of the most polluted times, and more complete immersion and ingestion increases the total exposure of surfers to pathogens and therefore the odds of getting sick. So the next time your nose starts to drip, think about the quality of the ocean water that just sat in your head for the last several hours - hopefully it was clean!

The papers referenced below provide a more in-depth look at these issues.

References:

Dwight, R. H., D. B. Backer, et al. (2004). "Health Effects Associated With Recreational Coastal Water Use: Urban Versus Rural California." American Journal of Public Health 94(4): 565-567.

Dwight, R. H., M. V. Brinks, et al. (2007). "Beach attendance and bathing rates for Southern California beaches." Ocean & Coastal Management 50: 847-858.

Leeworthy, V. R. and P. C. Wiley (2001). Current Participation Patterns in Marine Recreation, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Special Projects. National Survey on Recreation and the Environment 2000: 53.

Nelsen, C., L. Pendleton, et al. (2007). "A Socioeconomic Study of Surfers at Trestles Beach." Shore & Beach 75(4): 32-37.

Stone, D. L., A. K. Harding, et al. (2008). "Exposure Assessment and Risk of Gastrointestinal Illness Among Surfers." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 17(24): 1603-1615.

Surfers vs. Beachgoers: who is using the beach

2010-06-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

For one year, starting in July 2008, 462 beach visitors were interviewed.
Source: CIC Research, July 2009

In an earlier post entitled "Intercepting Surfers", I discussed the fact that surfers have a different daily pattern of beach use than typical beach goers. Surfers are more likely to use the beach in the mornings and evenings than beach goers whereas most beach goers tend to visit the beach in the middle of the day. Because studies on beach use typically focus on beach goers, they tend to sample during the middle of the day when the crowds are at their peak but at a time when surfers might be missed. It has also been assumed that there are usually more beach goers than surfers.

A recent study of beach attendance in the City of Solana Beach (San Diego) conducted over an entire year found that surfing was the most common primary purpose for being at the beach. See graphic above.

While it could be argued that some of the other categories in combination represent "beach going", this study is notable in finding that surfing is such a strong driving force for visiting beaches in the City of Solana Beach.

Why is it so crowded in the line up: Do The Math

2010-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

If you take the coast of California between San Francisco to the Mexican border, which is roughly 500 miles, and grossly estimate that there is one class “A” surf break every 50-miles, that would total 10. Then, say there is one class “B” break very 5-miles which adds 100 breaks to the total. Once again, let’s assume that there is yet another class “C” break every 5-miles to add another 100 breaks, making a grand total of 250, with, in truth, most of the surfers being drawn to the better third.

250 Surf spots

Now, let’s say that there are 500,000 active surfers in California, and that on any sunny weekend day with a 4-foot swell running, that 10% will hit the surf. Now, let’s consider that at least 1/3rd of those 250 breaks will be completely off-duty due to swell direction. That makes for 50,000 surfers sharing 250-less 83 breaks=50,000/167 which means that on average, there will be 299 surfers for each working surf break along the coast between San Francisco and the Mexican border.

299 Surfers per spot

Now let’s be real, the population is probably 2/3s in the south and 1/3 north, so the distribution at breaks would be weighted to the south. Therefore, let’s say 66% X 50,000 surfers=33,000 surfers for the working breaks in the south, and 17,000 for the working break in the north.

2/3 of those surfers live in Southern California

Of course, quantifying “the better break attracting more than their share” theory means that, let’s say, 35,000 surfers surfing the top third working breaks (56) or about 625 for each of those which leaves only 15,000 for the other 111, or 155 per.

625 surfers per spot in the South

155 surfers per spot in the North

In the real world, what actually happens is that over 500 surf Trestles during a day in roughly five shifts from dawn to dusk-the same at Malibu, and Huntington Pier and San Onofre, while most other breaks get way less.

500 surfers a day at Trestles, Malibu, Huntington & San Onofre on a good day

But any way you cut it the total mass of surfers and approximate number of surf breaks is undeniable.

This is, of course, completely theoretical and statically askew, but the numbers don’t lie. We have outgrown our supply.

From The Surfers Journal blog

Measuring stoke

2010-01-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

While putting a monetary value on a great day of surfing can be seen as sacrilege to some, it can also provide an important counter weight to decision making that is often based on economic contributions, jobs, etc.

Putting a value of surfing or other non-market activities (beach going, bird watching, etc.) can also be important when seeking compensation for recreation lost when beaches are closed or lost due to impacts from oil spills, water quality impairment, or coastal development.

So how how to you measure the value of a day of surfing?

Since there is typically no market for access to surfing (access is free), resource economists have to estimate these values using other methods.

One approach to capturing this value or "willingness to pay" for a day of surfing is the Travel Cost Method.

The basic premise behind the travel cost method is that visitors who live farther away from a surf spot pay a higher travel cost and take fewer trips than visitors who live closer who can afford to visit more often. By modeling travel costs and the number of trips, we can develop a demand function for recreational use and estimate an average value that you, as a surfer, put on a visit to a surf spot.

Economic theory presumes that if you spend 20 bucks on gas and three hours of your free time getting to a surf spot, that the visit is worth at least that time and financial commitment. As a result, the travel cost method measures the lower bound of this value; it could be higher.

This average value is called the consumer surplus is the difference between the maximum someone would pay for a trip and the amount actually paid. In other words, the benefit you derive above and beyond the value of your time and travel costs.

For example, in a previous post I wrote about a guy whose "willingness to pay" to spend an afternoon at Trestles was very high. Despite his high travel cost he believed it was worth it because the waves are so good. In the model schematic above, he would be found on the upper left region of the demand curve.

An economic valuation of Mavericks

2009-11-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

Save The Waves recently completed a study looking at the non-market value of the Mavericks area (wave and adjacent park). The study was conducted by Dr. Makena Coffman and Dr. Kimberly Burnett from the University of Hawaii. They based their findings on an on-site survey of visitors over a 6 month period in 2009. They used the Travel Cost Method to determine the non-market value (consumer surplus) of those visitors and their estimated an annual value ($24 million/year) using their best guess on annual attendance to the area.

Here are some of the key findings:

The average visitor received $56.7 in consumer surplus per visit

7% of those interviewed were there to surf Mavericks

~12% were visiting to watch surfing

Surfers were nearly 5 times more avid than other visitors

They estimated 421,431 visits to the Mavericks area per year

The total economic benefit from the Mavericks region is $23.8 million/year

This study did not include the annual contest in their analysis

It is important to note that the study included all visitors to the Mavericks areas, not only surfers or those watching surfers, so this value includes the value of the whole Mavericks area.

The final study has not been published yet. Once it does, I'll post it.

You can read a Half Moon Bay Review article about the study here.

The article got a few things confused and Deal LaTourrette, the Excutive Director responded:

Dear Editor,

We appreciate the coverage of the recently released results from our Mavericks economic study in Greg Thomas’ November 11th article, “The $24 Million Wave,” but feel compelled to clarify some key points with your readers:

1) While the study was designed to measure the economic value of the surf break and surrounding area, it also attempts to measure non-economic valuation factors such as the cultural, social and environmental value of the wave. The study is not all about dollars and cents, and a key finding was completely omitted from Thomas’ article: "Almost 90% of the respondents labeled surfing an ecotourism activity, and thus important to the cultural and environmental health of the community. Respondents believed that Mavericks helped to positively define the Half Moon Bay area." This underscores the importance of these studies to be used as a tool to help policy-makers make conservation decisions that allow ecotourism to thrive, while at the same time preserving unique environmental, social, and cultural phenomena.

2) This research project was funded by a grant from the Morgan Family Foundation. Mavericks Surf Ventures helped by supplying information on the area and connecting researchers with key local organizations, such as the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce. MSV and Jim Beam DID NOT fund or financially support the study.

3) The Center for Responsible Travel at Stanford University and the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, co-authors of the study, are independent researchers who were commissioned by Save The Waves to execute an academic study. They have no affiliation with Save The Waves, nor did commercial interests influence the study in any way.

Thanks for helping us clear up these important points.

The Cost of Poor Water Quality at Surfrider Malibu

2009-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Surfrider Beach at Malibu needs no introduction. Unfortunately, neither do the water quality problems. Malibu has been a chronically polluted beach for decades, consistently getting an "F" on Health the Bay's beach water quality report card. One of the primary culprits is over-capacity and improperly sited septic systems. For years, the City of Malibu has resisted constructing sewage systems as an anti-growth measure while polluting nearby beaches.

Thanks to a strong coalition that included the Malibu Surfing Association, Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Baykeeper and the West LA / Malibu Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation this all changed last Thursday when the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board voted to eliminate septics from Malibu and force the City to install waste water treatment systems. Read more about the outcome here and here and in the LA Times here.

$: Poor water quality is a public health burden that has costs.

Water quality contamination can cause skin rash, eye and ear infections, significant respiratory disease and Gastrointestinal (GI) illness. These illnesses have a variety of economic costs -- ranging from medical expenses to lost time at work to non-market impacts.

At Malibu, Given and Pendleton (2006) estimated that were were 25,000 to 100,000 excess GI illness (meaning above allowable level of illness at clean beaches) in Malibu due to poor water quality.

This results in $1.1 to $4.2 million in public costs annually due to illness associated with contaminated water in Malibu.

$: Clean water has benefits.

Clean water attracts more visitors who spend money (economic impacts) and clean water increase their enjoyment (consumer surplus).

Hanemann & Pendleton (2004) looked at economic benefits of improving beach water quality at Malibu Surfrider Beach by one letter grade. From a C to a B.

They showed that improving water quality at Malibu Surfrider would have two impacts on beach goers. First, the number of trips taken to Surfrider beach would increase by 1,538 visits per year.

The second major impact of an improvement in water quality is the annual consumer’s surplus of beach users improves by more than $140,000/ year.

In addition, the total economic impact (local spending) would increase by $45,000/year.

These are the benefits for one grade. The benefits would be much higher for a 3 or 4 grade level improvement (F to B/A)*.

*The model is nonlinear so you cannot use these figures to extrapolate directly.

These studies show that improving the water quality in Malibu will reduce the high public welfare burden associated with poor water quality and result in increased visits, increased societal benefits (consumer surplus benefits) and increase economics impacts (spending associated with beach visits).

You can read more detail and see the references in my testimony here.

The swell of surfing tourism

2009-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

SURFING has emerged as an X-factor in the Tweed Shire's economy, after the Gold Coast estimated the sport injected billions of dollars into the city each year.

A recent Surf Industry Development Report, which was a world first, found $2 billion in activity was attributable to the surfing industry on the Gold Coast, making it the city's third biggest industry.

The report estimated the sport generated up to a further $3 billion in output and created 21,760 employment positions paying $1 billion per annum in wages and salaries.

Jim Wilson, General Manger of Connecting Southern Gold Coast said the report showed the southern Gold Coast's economy relied heavily on its pristine beaches.

“That is why we all must respect and not tamper with what nature has created. We need our region to continue to offer up waves of excellence and consistency, as this is what the surfing industry and other businesses depend on to underpin the true surfing experience on the Gold Coast,” Mr Wilson said.

Read the whole thing here....

SurfEcon Myth Busting: Surfers are lazy

2009-08-09T16:31:00.001-07:00

Sunrise Surfer from LA times

This morning, I woke up at 4:45 AM to go for a surf at dawn. I suffered through the groggy transition to wakefulness hoping to get better morning conditions and to beat the summertime crowds. I was in the water by 5:30 - 6 guys out. By 6:30 the water was already started to get crowded and by 7:30 is was packed - on a Sunday AM.

I returned home to find these two Facebook messages. Many surfers get up very, very early to go surfing either to get the best conditions (the wind if often blowing offshore), beat the crowds or to get a surf in before work or family obligations.

(Names blurred to protect the committed)

These early beach visits are one of the reasons why surfers are so hard to intercept when economists study beach visitation.

Every morning around the country legions of surfers are waking in the dark, heading to their favorite spot, often changing into a wetsuit before jumping into the chilly ocean at first light. This phenomenon is so common is has its own name - "dawn patrol".

Lazy? I don't think so.

The Coasts & CZMA: A Stimulus for the U.S.

2009-07-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

This morning Dr. Linwood Pendleton provided a federal congressional briefing on the coastal economy and the importance of investing in the Coastal Zone Management Act, which provides the management framework for balancing conservation and development in our coastal communities. Here are a few tidbits from Linwood's testimony:

If coastal counties in the US were their own country they would have the world's second largest economy.

The coastal economy is more complex than the rest of our economy because the natural foundations upon which it is based are fluid and constantly changing.

In 2008, the total funding for state coastal programs was only $65.5 million with a cap of $2 million for each of 34 states with coastal programs.

Keep in mind, the coastal economy contributes 5 times more to GDP than the financial sector.

You can read Linwood's entire briefing here: The U.S. Economy Needs the Coastal Zone Management Act.

Effective management of our coasts is essential to protect water quality, beach access, beaches, coral reefs and coastal communities - all elements that are essential to protecting and enjoying our favorite surf spots. As surfers, beach goers and coastal community members, we should all support federal investment in the Coastal Zone Management Act.

The briefing was sponsored by the Coastal States Organization.

Dr. Pendleton is the Senior Fellow and Director of Economic Research at The Ocean Foundation and directs the Coastal Ocean Values Center.

You can keep up with Coastal Values at: www.twitter.com/coastalvalues

If Long Beach had surf, would more people visit?

2009-07-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Image from Surfline.

The obvious answer to this question is yes. The more challenging question is how many people would come to surf. Predicting how many people would come to visit Long Beach to surf would likely depend on the quality of the surf and how often the surf was good.

The Long Beach Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has a long running campaign to "Sink the Breakwater and Restore the Shore"

As part of their campaign they convinced the City of Long Beach to do a feasibility study of the breakwater removal. Part of that study was an economic analysis of the benefits to tourism resulting from improved water quality, beach conditions & surfing.

To better understand how the surfing would improve and how many surfers might visit, the Chapter contracted with Sean Collins at Surfline (a leading surf forecasting site) to use their models, historical surf records and expertise to predict how many days of surf Long Beach would see, how many good days and how many poor days and then estimated how many surfers would show up to surf it.

You can read this very interesting report here.

So what's the conclusion? Based on this approach, Collins estimates that restoring surf to Long Beach could result in over 394,000 annual visits.

This visitation estimate is being fed into an economic analysis that should be available in mid-July. We'll report on that when its available.

Duke Kahanamoku surfing in Long Beach before the breakwater was installed.

New York Surfers Defy Surfer Stereotype

2009-06-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Photo from: Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

A recent article from the NY Times about surfer's objections of an offshore LNG facility in New York had this quote:

“Our community is both much bigger and far more diverse than people give it credit for,’’ said Chris Wade, the chairman of the Surfrider Foundation’s New York City chapter and one of the organizers of Saturday’s protest. “The average outsider who doesn’t surf has stereotypical ideas of who a surfer is and where they live and we defy those stereotypes here in New York.”

Chris is right and he's also a classic example of someone who defies the surfer stereotype - he was an infantry officer in the Marines, he has an Ivy League education, he has a Masters in History from Duke University, he's a teacher and a very active volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation.

He's also not alone and its also not only a phenomenon in New York.

A paper I wrote on the socioeconomics of surfers Trestles in Southern California had similar findings - surfers tend to be fully employed, well educated and earn high incomes. They essential reflect the communities they come from - that probably shouldn't be a surprise.

To help better understand who surfer's are, Surf First has launched a national survey of surfers to better understand their demographics, surfing habitats and economic impacts to coastal communities. You can check out the survey here.

Impacts of Coastal Development on Surfing

2009-05-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Nicolas Corne recently published an interesting paper entitled, "The Implications of Coastal Protection and Development on Surfing" in the Journal of Coastal Research (reference and link below).

The paper is noteworthy because it is one of the only attempts to quantify if coastal structures (groins, jetties, seawalls, breakwaters) are good or bad for surfing. This is common topic of debate within the Surfrider Foundation because we typically fight against coastal structures because they tend to alter coastal process, harm beaches and can destroy surf spots. On the other hand we are aware that many surfing areas are the result of shoreline structures (many of which have still have other negative consequences). This is especially true on the East Coast of the US where there are few natural reefs to make surf spots.

Not too surprisingly this paper finds that coastal protection structures do both, but with the bad out weighing the good for the projects analyzed. Here are some of the other notable elements of the paper.

Because physically measuring the physical features of a surfing wave is extremely challenging (here is one attempt at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz), Corne relies on user surveys to guage perceptions on the change in quality and crowds.

It was found that crowds decreased when wave quality decreased as expected, but surprisingly there were no cases were it was reported that the crowd increased when the surf improved. As suggested this has a lot to do with the proximity of substitute sites.

The results show that seawalls, emergent break waters and beach fill tend to reduce wave quality, where as jetties tended to improve wave quality. The "other categorey and "combo" projects showed mixed results.

This paper had a number of short comings that challenge its validity that put it at risk of being a formalization of surfing anecdotes.

The survey frame is largely Surfrider Foundation members who may have a bias against shoreline structures that is reflective of the organization's beach preservation policy.

The paper doesn't say how many people were surveyed so its impossible to know if the responses are based on one persons opinion or if the results had a wide variation in responses (error bars)

The survey asks questions about some places that were altered 10 to 15 years ago (e.g the Wedge in Newport Beach) and it begs the question whether survey respondents are able to truly recall changes in surf quality or if crowds have changed for reasons other than wave quality (the author does acknowledge this shortcoming).

This paper represents a first attempt to quantify the impacts of coastal protection on surfing, which is an admirable research topic. I believe using crowds as a proxy for surf quality is a sound means of estimating changes over time and is something that warrants further research.

Attendance data at surf spots is essential information to better understand the economics, protection and management of surfing areas but has proven difficult to find.

Reference:

CORNE, N.P., 2009. The implications of coastal protection and development on surﬁng. Journal of Coastal Research, 25(2), 427–434. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

Download it here.

Thanks to Linwood Pendleton from the Coastal Ocean Values Center for his comments on this post.

Monster Wave in Super Slo-Mo

2009-05-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

High-definition cameras shooting 600 frames reveal the inner dynamics of Monster Waves in the new BBC series South Pacific: Oceans of Islands premiered May 10 on BBC Two. The trailer above shows the first images of underwater spiralling vortices created by the wave’s action, off the coast of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands, part of the Federated State of Micronesia. Read more about monster waves and super slo-motion techniques here at BBC Earth News.

Who's Surfing Lowers?

2009-05-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Surfline just posted a little photo expose on "Who's Surfing Lowers". I mapped where they came from here:

View Who's Surfing Lowers in a larger map

Although far from a random sample, I thought it was interesting that it looks somewhat familar to this map that is the result of about 1000 responses to an Internet-based survey:

Surfers are clearly willing to "go the extra mile" to surf Trestles.

Total Economic Value

2009-05-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Economists often try to measure the value of things. In my case I am interested in using economics to help understand the value of surfing. A common criticism of this approach, beyond the philosophical question about the need to use money to value everything, is that the value of surfing for a day doesn't really capture the entire value of the experience. That is true.

The common techniques used to capture the non-market value of surfing (or other activities) capture a lower bound. The techniques attempt to measure the value of the direct use of the resource.

To try and put that value in context the Total Economic Value framework was established. The other components require non-market valuation techniques.

The illustration above shows the Total Economic Value framework, with examples for surfing.

Read more here and here.

Nias: The Golden Pig

2009-03-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Golden Pig

Documentary about the island of Nias. Provided to us by Australian film director Joel Peterson. The film showcases the dangers of modern surf colonialism, focusing on the impacts it can have on native populations.

The waves at Lagundri Bay on the Indonesian island of Nias are what dreams are made of. The Golden Pig highlights incredible early footage from surf explorer Kevin Peterson along with "first contact" interviews with locals of Nias.

The current state of Nias, surfer paradise or culture destroyed by surfing, remains debated. There is no question that surfing had a profound influence on this community.

The Surf Economics of Brevard County, Florida

2009-03-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Brevard County, Florida is arguably the epicenter of surfing in Florida. This region boats numerous surf spots from CoCoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet and spawned the Hobgoods and Slater.

Last week, Mike Slotkin of Florida Institute of Technology presented some stats on surfers who visit Brevard County from an internet-based survey of 240 surfers who lived outside Brevard County but visit to surf.

As you can see, surfers from throughout the state come to Brevard County to surf.

These surfers represent a full range of ages - over 40% of them are over 36 years old.

They are also well educated and earn high wages. For comparison, the median household income in Florida is a little over $46,000 and about 25% of Floridians have a college degree. These surfers are wealthy and well educated.

When they visit the county to surf they spend money in local businesses.

When you begin to add up those expenditures over a year they start to add up. As is common, the hardest number to find is the annual number of surfer visits. Here they estimated 9500 a year.

This profile of Florida surfers who visit Brevard County is similar to the demongraphics of surfers who visit Trestles. Mike shows this comparison in his presentation. You can see all the slides here (5 MB .pdf)

Thanks to Dr. Mike Slotkin and Dr. Alex Vamosi for sharing their presentation and kudos to Brian Kelly for conducting the survey.

How many surf sessions?

2009-02-16T12:42:00.001-08:00

Earlier I posted on how many surfers there are in the US. This is a follow up about how often they surf. The same 2001 marine recreational survey used in that previous post also estimated how many visits to the beach surfers made in a year.

As the graphic above illustrates, there were a total of about 76.5 million surf visits in the US in 2000.

This means that surfers averaged about 22 surf sessions per year.

The top states for annual surf sessions were Hawaii, California, Florida, and North Carolina. The number of days of participation (visits) for the top five states could not be estimated because there was an insufficient sample size per state after the top 4.

At Trestles (a top quality wave with a avid local surf population), survey respondents reported an average annual visitation of 109 visits/year.

A study on surfer illness in Oregon found that surfers averaged 77 surf visits per year.

If I had to guess, I would say that you'd find that the average number of annual surf sessions is bimodal - there is a large number of surfers who average 5-15 days per year and then there are more avid groups along the coasts that average closer to 70-150 visits a year. More information on the behavior of surfers is needed to figure this out. Hopefully, the Surf First surfer survey will help us start to answer this question and others.

How many surfers?

2009-02-16T11:55:00.001-08:00

I have been asked repeatedly, "How many surfers are there in [name a state or country]".

This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. There is only one study that I know of that counts surfers for the US - a 2000 NOAA recreational survey.

Without getting into the debate about what constitutes a surfer, here are some stats for the U.S. from that study:

There are about 3.3 million people who surfed in 2000.

The top 6 states are illustrated above: California, Hawaii, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas.

Here's a table of all states that they found surfers:

All of this info is based on a report called the "Current Participation Patterns in Marine Recreation". It was published in 2001 - see reference below. The stats are generated based on a phone survey of 50,000 homes in the US. This is the only published report on recreational surfing participation that I am aware of.

Surfing has boomed boomed since 2000 so it will be interesting to see what we find upon publication of the next marine recreation report.

This tells us how many surfers there are. A more interesting question, one that is critical to understanding the economics of surfing, is, "How many times did they surf?". Stay tuned for that answer.

You can read the whole report here:

Leeworthy, V. R. and P. C. Wiley (2001). Current Participation Patterns in Marine Recreation, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Special Projects. National Survey on Recreation and the Environment 2000: 53.

Intercepting Surfers

2009-02-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

This is a graphical representation of typical surfing and beach going attendance patterns over a day for many places in the world. Surfers tend to visit the beach in the mornings and evening - when conditions are best and they are not at work. On the other hand beachgoing tends to happen mostly in the middle of the day. Surfers also tend to visit the beach throughout the week or when conditions are good, where as beach going more typically occurs on the weekends.

Understanding this pattern is very important when considering the economics of beach going.

Many studies on the economics of beach going rely on intercept surveys to collect their data. Intercept surveys that take place in person at a site and interview visitors while they are at the beach. It is also during this time that many attendance counts are conducted to estimate how many visitors use the beach in a given day or year.

These surveys are often conducted in the middle of the day when beach going is at its maximum. In these cases a large portion of the surf visitation may be missed. This will lead to an underestimate of the overall use of the beach and also disproportionately miss surfer visits.

This could have many implications about the value of the beach and its management.

When calculating the lost value associated with the American Trader oil spill, Chapman and Hanemann avoided this pitfall by surveying beach visitors from 6 AM to 6 PM and found that at some Orange County beaches surfers made up 10-20% of the beach visits. This is one of the only studies on beach economics that specifically made an effort to survey early and late to capture surfers.

We found a similar patter at Trestles.

Value of Local Shops to the Surf Industry

2009-01-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Surfline Launches Local Surf Shop Series Focusing on the Value of Local Shops to the Surf Industry
January 16, 2009
PRESS RELEASE

Today Surfline launches a new editorial series that focuses on the core value of local surf shops to the industry and the culture they provide. This editorial series will focus on surf shops and their vast knowledge of both products and surf culture as well as their understanding of what a surfer needs in terms of equipment and knowledge, all the while providing a strong community in the local marketplace. Local surf shops allow surfers a place to congregate around core industry products and provide a community and culture that has escaped the main stream surf industry. Surfline is focused on bringing this culture and community to light and show the importance to surfers and the industry in all local markets.

Surfline's VP of Editorial Dave Gilovich says, "We believe surf shops are good for surfing. Surf shops provide a place where wave riders can find the core products they need to pursue their life's passion - boards, leashes, wax, wetsuits, boardshorts. Equally important, most shops have personnel on the floor who can offer information about these products, with a degree of knowledge and understanding that can be found nowhere else. But the best surf shops are more than just retail stores. The special ones, the ones that have served their communities for years and, in some cases, decades, offer a place for surfers to gather, connect and communicate, to share the stoke of surfing and to celebrate its lifestyle and culture. These businesses have become shrines to our sport, and, as such, are important to surfers everywhere."

Visit the first part of this series today on Surfline where you can read about Harbour Surfboards in Seal Beach which has been around Since 1962.

Study: Surfers ingest 10 times more water than swimmers, divers

2008-12-24T07:02:00.000-08:00

A new study has found that surfers may unintentionally ingest 10 times more water than swimmers or divers, putting them at higher risk of contracting gastrointestinal illnesses when surfing in contaminated waters.

The study, which may be the first of its kind, was conducted by scientists at Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. It also suggests that because water quality at Oregon beaches is significantly better than more popular surfing destinations, such as California, Hawaii, or Florida, the risk of GI illness is lower for people surfing the frigid waters of the Oregon coast.

“While the risk for Oregon surfers is not high for GI illness, our findings suggest that surfers who spend longer periods of time in recreational waters, or who surf in more contaminated locations, are likely to be at higher risk of contracting GI illnesses,” said David Stone, an assistant professor in the OSU Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.

The study, funded by Oregon Sea Grant, used a Web-based survey to collect voluntary responses from 520 of the estimated 12,000 surfers in Oregon. Participants estimated the amount of water they ingest during a typical recreational day, and the researchers used historic water quality data collected at six popular surfing beaches to calculate the risk of infection from fecal bacteria using enterococci as an indicator organism.

Read more...

Protecting surf spots

2008-12-09T16:55:00.000-08:00

World Wave Sites team: Ryan Seelbach, Will Henry, Greg Benoit, Chris LaFranchi, Ben Finney, Jim Moriarty, Fernando Aguerre, Rodney A. Woodstock, Sky, Miles Walsh, Lindsey Davis, Dean LaTourrette, Kara Allen, Christoph Tito Huber, Joao De Macedo, Drew Kampion, Steve Hawk, Brad Farmer, Josh Berry, Wallace J. Nichols, Chad Nelsen, Mark Massara, Len Materman

Last Friday, Save the Waves brought together an interesting mix of surfing eco-activists, industry leaders and deep thinkers to discuss proactively protecting surfing areas by establishing surfing "reserves".

Topics discussed included the importance of surfing heritage and cultural values, protecting the ocean environment, economics and the waves themselves.

Brad Farmer, of the Australian National Surfing Reserves, described the process of establishing surfing reserves in Australia like the one at Lennox, and lessons that might be applied elsewhere.

While establishing protected surfing areas is an ambitious and aspirational goal and there are many important decisions and details to be worked out, I think it is safe to say the group universally agreed that the world's special surfing areas deserve the same types of protection that our land-based recreational havens like Yosemite have.

Stay tuned for more on protecting surfing areas...

2008-12-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

From http:/www.surf-first.org....

WOULD YOU SPEND 15 MINUTES, IF IT MEANT SURFING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

We thought you would. And the good news is you can. All across the country, surfers are facing access and environmental fights that fail to consider their needs and enormous impact. While fishermen and other recreational ocean users flex big muscle in courthouses and town halls, surfers get pushed aside a 'segment group.' A minor hobby for punk kids - instead of healthy lifestyle for whole families. That's because we let them.

Despite being a 1000-year-old sport with a $7 billion industry, surfing has failed to produce the demographic and economic studies to show who we are, where we live, and what we spend. So while other interest groups bolster their arguments with impressive numbers to prove their positions, all-too often, surfers get blindsided and bowled over, unable to offer a single hard number to support their cases or save their breaks.

Not anymore. With your help, we can start to paint a true picture of who surfers are and how we behave. And every surfer who answers provides another stroke of necessary detail. All you need to do is take 15 minutes to fill out the survey. Here's some quick rules:
Answer honestly. An accurate study is our best weapon.
When in doubt, leave an answer blank. We'd rather have less info than bad info.
Pass it along to your friends.
All information is anonymous. We promise not to share the individual details for commercial purposes, but we will share the bulk data - national, state by state, and as a whole. Right here. That way, surfers, in any fight, in any coastal town - from the most precious, world-class pointbreak to the shittiest, shiftiest sandbar - can proudly walk into any town hall or business office and prove with concrete numbers that surfing is a pursuit as crucial to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in their beach town as any other ocean activity. That enjoying the ocean is much a god-given American right as protecting your beach home investment.

Maybe if we're just as selfish, aggressive and determined as we are in the water, we'll never lose another wave. And if we do, it's because we looked hard, considered it carefully and let it go for a greater good - not because someone snaked it from us.

NOW: TAKE THE SURVEY!

The New Localism

2008-11-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

What is the new localism?

a wave rider in the White House

2008-11-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

A new twist on the surfer stereotype...

Not only is Obama the first African American to become the President of the United States, he's also the first President who can legitimately body surf!

Next time someone disparages a surfer, you can remind them of this.

Beach Closed

2008-11-02T08:28:00.001-08:00

I woke up early this morning (thanks in part to the time change) to check the surf at my local beach. I was hoping that is swell would be showing:

Sadly, when I got down to the overlook, I was reminded that Laguna just experienced a massive 480,000 gallon sewage spill and the beaches were still closed.

That got me to thinking about all the surfers in town who wouldn't be surfing in Laguna this weekend. These surfers would either skip their surf session (like me) or would have to travel out of town to other surfing areas. In economic speak - they would either have lost the value of a surf session or would incur a higher travel cost to go somewhere else, which will reduce their consumer surplus (stoke) assuming all other things being equal (surf quality, etc.).

In February of 1990, the American Trader, dumped over 400,000 gallons of oil in the waters off of Huntington Beach. The spill closed 14 miles of beach for 34 days. Eight years and a ten week trial later a jury awarded the State of California $18 million. To arrive at that figure economists on both sides of the issue used the Travel Cost Method to estimate the non-market value of lost beach and surf recreation. (Click here for an surf-centric explanation).

Here are some numbers from the calculations:

Surfing Trips Lost: 28,290
Value of those trips: $18.75
Total consumer surplus lost: $530,438

Surf trips diverted to substitute site: 28,148
Extra cost associated with going to other site: $12.00
Total consumer surplus lost: $337,776

Back to the sewer spill, I wonder how much lost value did surfers in Laguna suffer from due to the beach closure?

Detailed information on the American Trader spill can be found in the following paper:

Chapman, D. J. and W. M. Hanneman (2001). Environmental Damages In Court: The American Trader Case. The Law and Economics of the Environment. A. Heyes: 319-367.

STW releases Mundaka surf economics study

2008-10-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

Mundaka is a town whose economy relies heavily on surf tourism, and in 2005 the wave was temporarily lost due to river dredging for a large ship-building project.

“This study provides evidence of not just the environmental value of a Mundaka, but of the economic value as well, reinforcing the notion that it and other spots like it need to be protected.”

The study was conducted by graduate student Melissa Murphy of the University of Oregon’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, with the help of Maria Bernal from Autonoma University Madrid, and was commissioned by Save The Waves Coalition.

Summary of Key Findings:

1) At higher visitation levels, surfing and the wave at Mundaka has an estimated positive economic impact of up to $4.5 million per year to the local economy – in a town of approximately 1,900 people.1

2) Surfing at Mundaka adds up to $1.5 million in annual personal income to the local population, and supports up to 95 jobs.1

3) A majority of survey respondents claimed they would no longer visit Mundaka if the wave there were significantly degraded.

4) Local businesses estimated that up to 40% of their customers are surfers or surf spectators, and that the loss of business due to the degradation of the wave and the cancellation of the Billabong Pro contest could be as high as 50%.2

You can check out Melissa's presentation on this research here.

$300 to fly with your surfboard!

2008-09-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

After a decade of booming and relatively cheap surf travel, prices are quickly rising. While good for reducing the overall carbon footprint of traveling surfers, increased prices may have dramatic affects on the surfer-based economies of many "towns that surfing built".

This just in from Wired Magazine: Delta jacks their surfboard price up to $300 per board for travel!

Surfers feel singled out because golf bags, skis and other equipment still flies for free.

Check out a petition on the issue here.

Surfenomics: Trestles & Superbanks

2008-08-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

As part of their latest green issue Surfing magazine wrote this feature comparing the economics impacts of Trestles and Superbanks.

Click here for a readable version of the page

Bring Back Kirra

Save Trestles

Surfline does Surf Econ 101

2008-07-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

Check out an interview about surf economics on Surfline.

Cost of oil & gas affecting surfers

2008-07-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

Despite the annoying title this MSNBC article provides an interesting perspective on about how high petroleum costs are impacting surfboard production costs, international surf travel and even local surf visits. As surfers become more discerning about their surf checks and visits Surfline has seen an upswing in subscriptions.

An interesting quote relevant to the use of the Travel Cost Method to estimate the economic value of surfing at Trestles:

"The high gas prices still haven't dissuaded some die-hard surfers from enjoying their sport — expensive or not.

As the sun set over San Clemente's famed Trestles surf break on a recent summer day, Alan Harrison peeled off his wet suit and swore he would never choose money over surfing.

"If you love it, you can't change it for anybody or anything," said the 23-year-old Harrison, who spends $40 a week to get to Trestles from his inland home. "Even if gas went to $10 a gallon, I'd still do it. I'd find a way. It's an addiction."

TCS 21: International Surf Economics Panel

2008-07-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

At last weeks The Coastal Society conference a session was held on surf economics called, "THE SOCIOECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT OF SURFING AREAS: INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDIES FROM MEXICO, SPAIN, CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA"

The session included talks on Mundaka, Trestles and Ensenada surfing areas. The session was moderated by Dr. Linwood Pendleton and stimulated some great discussion.

Pdf versions of the presentations are here:

Chad Nelsen - Trestles, California

Melissa Murphy - Mundaka, Spain

It's worth noting that Melissa's work is being sponsored by Save the Waves.

Paula Pijoan - Ensenada, Mexico

Neil Lazarow (coming soon)

You can download a link to our paper here.

Towns that Surfing Built (then Ruined?)

2008-06-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

Fueled by the dream of finding that next perfect, secret and empty wave, some surfers are intrepid travelers who have a famous history of "going feral" for months in uncharted tropical locals. Often these discoveries remain secret for a few years before word gets out, then begins the quickly accelerating process of development. Tourism researcher Richard Bulter described this as the "Tourism Area Life Cycle" .

I call them "Towns That Surfing Built". Some towns that surfing built have become beautiful places to live and to visit where it appears that community is thriving. In others the Life Cycle takes a turn for the worst and these towns become overbuilt, polluted, riddled with crime and no longer desirable. Surfers then move on to the next place.

I am certainly not the first person to think about this...

Barilotti wrote about it in the Surfer's Journal in 2002 in an article called "Lost Horizons: Surf Colonialism in the 21st Century" and I found an article by northern-Californian surfer Dane Larson with a similar theme, "The Making of a Surf Ghetto". I am sure there are more...

We are going to make and effort to chronical the places that surfing built and discuss their trajectory and try to understand why they evolve the way that do.

Surfboard Industry Sags

2008-06-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Photo: Channel Islands Surfboards

Industry upheaval in the aftermath of the Clark Foam shut down, increased costs for petroleum, pop outs from Asia, and the sagging economy have hit the surfboard industry driving some out of business.

In 2006 U.S. retail surfboard sales reached $190.4 million. If the average board retails at $600 - that represents over 300,000 surfboards sold. Some suggest that number may drop 30% in 2008.

Read the LA Times story

When is the last time you bought a surfboard?

Surfers come in all ages, shapes and sizes...

2008-05-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

© Kymri Wilt/Mira Terra Images

On February 6, 2008, California Coastal Commission held a 14-hour hearing and voted to deny the construction of a Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach.

I attended the hearing along with thousands of others - many were surfers, many were environmentalists, and all were passionately professional about making their voices heard. There were CEO's, attorneys, moms with toddlers, commuters, activists, teachers, and all walks of business professionals, male and female, who took the day off work to give testimony or support. The definition of a stereotypical surfer was blown right out of the water. Surfers come in all ages, shapes and sizes. However, most of the signs, t-shirts, websites and promotional advertising seemed targeted to an outdated punkish youth subculture and did little to embrace today's real-life surfer - someone like myself (self-employed, vegetarian, wife, mother, homeowner, hybrid-driver, world traveller, photographer, etc.).

More...

Life Cycle of Santosha?

2008-05-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

In 1980 a tourism researcher Richard Butler developed a well regarded model called the Tourism Area Life Cycle that describes the evolution of the economy of resort regions. Here are the stages and how they might apply to surfing.

1. Exploration: A secret spot is disovered, no amenities, must "go feral".

2. Involvement: A few locally-run camps and a few concessions are established

3. Development: A well defined tourism industry is developed with advertising the destination

4. Consolidation: Tourism become a dominant feature of the local economy

5. Stagnation: Tourism growth slows and carrying capacity is reached, the area is no longer a new hotspot, maybe its overbuilt

6. Decline or rejuvination: Decline results as tourists choose other destinations, rejuvination typically requires attracting a different kind of tourist.

The consequences of this cycle seem to be a big factor is the evolution and environmental proection of surf destinations around the world.

Here's a book on the topic...

Peru. Surfing the next wave of.... surfing

2008-05-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Intrepid surfer having been traveling around the globe looking for the next undiscovered surf spot since Bruce Brown's 1966 classic Endless Summer.

Surfers are often the pioneers of coastal areas. They start as secret spots, become popular amongst surfers and then trigger a wave of tourism. As a result surfers have become a very popular coastal tourism marketing tool. Enter Peru.

In Peru.....surfing has swept the nation recently in a pop cultural frenzy. On the wide boulevards of Lima, billboards are covered with the fresh-faced ranks of Peruvian surfers endorsing cellphones, beer and soft drinks. Surfing contests are all the rage.

Read the NY Times article....

Economic Impacts of Space Coast Surf Contest

2008-05-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Photo: Placesaroundflorida.com

With an estimated 100,000 spectators and 200 surfers packed into this resort town for the 44th annual Easter Surf Festival, expect crawling traffic, limited parking and a continuous beach cleanup.

Because it's Easter weekend, beachside hotels also are loaded. "We can attribute a couple thousand rooms to that event," said Rob Varley, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism.

He called $2 million a very conservative estimate of how much the surf festival pumps into the local economy, considering hotel expenses, meals and what day-trippers spend.

Read the Florida Today article....

Negative Surfer Stereotype Bares Itself in NJ?

2008-05-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, the NY Times published an article on the increasing trend of clothing optional vacations. Apparently, the town of Ocean County township in New Jersey plans to buck that trend.

The township recently passed an ordinance that prohibits changing your clothes unless you are in a closed structure, regardless of how discreet you are. Surfers feel that the ordinance is directed at them due to prejudice against the old stereotype that "surfer's are trouble".

Read the article here

Surf Economics Panel at The Coastal Society

2008-04-11T07:52:00.001-07:00

This summer perhaps the first panel on the economics of surfing will be held as part of The Coastal Society's 21st Annual Conference.

The panel, entitled "THE SOCIOECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT OF SURFING AREAS: INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDIES FROM MEXICO, SPAIN, CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA" will feature discussions on the economics in Mexico, Australia, Mundaka and Trestles.

Panelists include:

Chad Nelsen, Surfrider Foundation
Neil Lazarow, The Australian National University
Maria Bernal, Save the Waves Coalition
Melissa Murphy, Save the Waves Coalition
Paula Pijoan, Autonomous University of Baja California

Linwood Pendleton will be moderating the session.

Come check it out. If you can't make it you can read the paper here.

Avenida Del Mar Surf Shop Bonanza

2008-04-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

You can practically watch the economic impacts of surfing in real time on San Clemente's Avenida Del Mar...

In 2004, San Clemente's main drag (Avenida Del Mar) had one "Mom & Pop" surf shop called Rocky's Surf Shop

A couple of years later Killer Dana opens a surf shop down the street, expanding from their successful shop in Dana Point.

Sadly, increasing leases and tighter competition lead to to the closure of Rocky's.

Rocky's is soon replaced by a Hobie surf shop - a success regional of shops in Orange County. Hobie's open's not one but two different shops on Del Mar!

Not a year later there are rumors that a Jack's surf shop will also be opening a store on Del Mar.

In 4 years, 3 of the most prominent Orange County surf retailers all opened a store on the Avenida.

I am sure they all hope that Trestles is saved!

2008-03-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

What’s your surf spot worth?

Help us find out. Researchers at UCLA are conducting a survey of surfers who surf at California surf spots to evaluate their worth. You can help by visiting this link and filling out the survey.

http://www.beachology.com/surf

Your participation can help us better protect and manage California surf spots in the future.

Background:

Researchers at UCLA are conducting a research project on the economics of surfing. For part of the project they are planning to assess the economic value of surf spots in California. To do so they need to get as many surfers who surf California surf spots as possible to fill out a web-based survey within 24 hours of surfing. The more surfers who fill out the survey the more accurate the estimation. The results will be used in a model to estimate the economic value of surf spots in California.

List of surf spots:

1. Seaside Reef
2. Cardiff Reef
3. Swami’s
4. Oceanside Pier North Side
5. Oceanside North Jetty
6. San Onofre
7. Trestles
8. Doheny
9. Salt Creek
10. 40st Street Newport
11. 54th and 56th Streets Newport
12. Huntington Peer Southside
13. Huntington Pier Northside
14. Manhattan Beach Pier
15. El Porto
16. Malibu Surfrider Beach
17. C Street
18. Rincon
19. Pleasure Point
20. Steamer Lane
21. South Ocean Beach -Sloat
22. North Ocean Beach

Save Trestles

2008-02-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

Photo: Branimir Kvartuc

On February 6th, in front of over 2500 activists, the California Coastal Commission voted 8-2 and found that the proposed 241 Toll road is not consistent with the California Coastal Act. A big win for coastal conservation and protection of surfing at Trestles.

Associated Press story about the hearing

There were at least two interesting things about this issue that relate to surf economics.

First, both the Coastal Commission staff and the AP story above referred to the high usage of Trestles (almost 400,000 visits a year) and also the economic impact to the City of San Clemente ( up to $13 million/year) in their reports on the issue.

Second, the TCA who is promoting the toll road argued that the road was necessary for access and also that surfers were being selfish and didn’t want the road to “expose” their local surf spot. These arguments are easily countered by showing a map of where surfers come from in order to surf at Trestles - they come from all over southern California - and that Trestles is one of the most heavily used surfing spots in the US. Access doesn't seem to be a limiting factor!

Origin of surfers visiting Trestles based on zip code
(Nelsen, C. et. al. 2007. Socioeconomics of surfers at Trestles Beach. Shore & Beach 74(4))

Spicoli

2007-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

Jeff Spicoli, one of Sean Penn's early roles, has become one of the most recognizable characters in surf movie history. Spicoli epitomized the ultimate surfer stereo type - he was a perpetually stoned surfer who could care less about school or the rules.

As Spicoli put it, "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."

This entertaining Hollywood character may have done more to perpetuate the surfer stereotype and done more damage to the reputation of the surfers than any other characterization.

Today's surfers around the world, many of whom are extremely successful professionals, are responsible parents or highly paid professional athletes still suffer from this negative stereotype.

While we still have a long way to go, the good news is that things are changing as surfing become more mainstream (at least there is an upside) and there is less bias towards surfers.

Surfer Stereotype Dispelled in Pismo Beach

2007-10-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I gave a talk at the H20 Conference entitled Dispelling the Surfer Stereotype based on my research on the socioeconomics of surfing at Trestles Beach in Southern California.

Ted Ehring, a councilmember of the City of Pismo Beach, was in attendance and he commented that while Pancho's Surf Shop was a leading contributer to the City's tax base, he was under the impression that surfers didn't really contribute much to the economy of his coastal city. He was startled to hear that I estimated a range of economic impacts to the City of San Clemente by surfers who visit Trestles to be between 8 and 13 million dollars a year. He requested a copy of my power point to share it with others.

I guess it worked- for a least one person the surfer stereotype was dispelled.

What is your $urf $pot Worth...

2007-10-10T20:33:00.002-07:00

What is your surf spot worth? For most surfers the immediate answer is that a surf spot, especially a good one, is priceless. How can one put a value on the mystical connection with nature, the mental healing, the adrenaline rush, and the good times spent with friends in the line up?

While many would agree that attempting to put a dollar value on a wave is sacrilege, in this increasingly market-driven, capitalistic world we live in explaining the value of waves with dollars and cents may be one of the best tools wave have to protect and save waves.

This is a blurb from an article I wrote for Surfshot's Ecologic column.

You can read the whole thing here

Who cares about surfing?

2007-10-05T00:53:00.001-07:00

Hi Chad,

Stoked that you've set this blog up. I look forward to chewing the fat on a few big questions. Let me start with one. Something that bothers me a bit is the 'so what' question. What will we be able to do once we have the info that tells us surfing and the surfing lifestyle is worth heaps to a particular town or region?

For example, everyone knew that Kirra was the best surfbreak in Oz, yet it didn't stop the government dumping millions of cubic metres of sand on the break to the point that it hasn't broken in over 10 years. The act of parliament that governed the project to bring sand across the border even stipulated that recreational amenity was a key priority. Even when they knew that the break was being destroyed it was ok to trade of Kirra for something else.

So what will we do with the information we collect? Will politicians and bureaucrats listen to us because we can now demonstrate that we are significant economic stakeholders in the coastal economy? Will dollars alone save surfbreaks or do we need something more than that?

Welcome to Surfing Economics

2007-10-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden it seems that there are a bunch of folks around the world that are using economic methods to try and better understand the values and uses of surfing areas. There are studies underway at Trestles, Mundaka and Australia to name a few.

This new blog is dedicated to communicating the application of economic and socioeconomic techniques to better understand the uses and values of surfing areas.