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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]