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]
