International Surfing Day

International Surfing Day, held annually on the third Saturday of June,^{[citation needed]} is an unofficial, environmentally conscious^[1] sports-centered holiday that celebrates the sport of surfing, surfing lifestyle, and the sustainability of ocean resources.^[2][3] Contests and prizes^[4] are also part of the celebration, with surfing-related industries donating prizes such as surfboards and wetsuits.^[1] Another purpose of the celebration is to promote the popularity of surfing and to attract new participants.^[5]

History

A Naupaka plant

International Surfing Day was established in 2005 by Surfing Magazine^[6][7] and The Surfrider Foundation.^[6][7] International Surfing Day closely follows the spirit and intent of the World Surf Day, established by the Usenet newsgroup alt.surfing in 1993.^[8] International Surfing Day is a worldwide^[9] celebration of the sport of surfing. The day is observed with surf contests,^[7] barbecues,^[10] film screenings^[1] and other surf-related activities. Surfers also use the day to give back to the environment by organizing beach clean-ups,^{[6][7][11][12][13][14]} dune and other habitat restoration^[10] and other activities^[3] such as lobbying to maintain the recreation areas in California where surfing occurs, or planting Naupaka (a flowering coastal plant) in Hawaii.^[15][16]

Direct action was used by form of protest on this day in England to express opposition to sewage in the waters of the Gold Coast; a precarious problem for many surfers who become infected by the bacteria from open wounds from sports-related injuries.^[17]

Extent of celebrations

International Surf Day events have been held on all populated continents including South America where it is celebrated in Argentina,^[9] Brazil,^[18] and Peru.^[18] Also in the Southern Hemisphere the holiday is observed in the Oceanian nations of Australia^[19] and New Zealand.^[18] The day is also widely observed in the American state of Hawaii, also in Oceania.^[3][14]

In North America the surfing day is most widely observed and celebrations may be found in Canada,^[18] Costa Rica,^[18] the French Antilles,^[18] El Salvador,^[20] Mexico,^[21] and in the majority of coastal states of the United States: California,^[4][15] Connecticut,^[18] District of Columbia,^[18] Florida,^[13][22] Georgia,^[23] Maine,^[18] Maryland,^[18] New Jersey,^[6][11] New York,^[18] North Carolina,^[18] Oregon,^[10] South Carolina,^[24] Texas,^[18] and Virginia.^[18] After North America the observance has the most popularity in Europe: including in most of the coastal European Union and it is held by surf enthusiasts in France,^[5][18] Italy,^[5] the United Kingdom,^[17][18] Portugal,^[5] Spain,^[5] and Belgium.^[18] Further European celebrations are held in Norway,^[5] in addition to many of the EU nations overseas possessions.

In Africa, the two French territories of Réunion and Mayotte^[5] hold annual festivities alongside Morocco,^[5] the Spanish insular area of the Canary Islands^[5] and South Africa. The day has also taken hold in some other countries such as Israel and Japan.^[5][18]

See also

• Earth Day
• Go Skateboarding Day