Charity surfing events dig deep

Across the world, surfers are doing good turns. I’ve posted in the past about environmental activist groups like Skeleton Sea and Bali’s Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu. Another great way to give something back is by holding charity surfing events.

Sometimes the loss of a dear friend can summon feelings of compassion for others, as is the case with the passing of English surfer Anton Hawkins, who was killed in a car crash earlier this year. Hawkins was a passionate humanitarian who had recently started a project with the aim of providing clean water to poor families in Nicaragua. The project will continue and has incorporated Hawkins’ initials into its name: AH20.

From This Is Cornwall:

AH2O aims to ensure that all those close to Anton have a platform to get behind something that meant so much to him. He developed a passion to bring self-sustaining water resources to the different communities he had grown to love, this passion was caught by anyone who spoke to him. We will be working closely with communities, leaders and businesses to bring long-term solutions to issues relating to water scarcity and sanitation. The support so far has been incredible, and reflects the enthusiasm that Anton had spread with his vision.

–Zac Bull, AH2O

Over in Australia, the charity surfing event Blacksmiths Memorial Boardriders Classic, held in New South Wales, has been attracting competitors for the past 30 years. What started off as a way for surfer Richard Hoogwerf to honor a friend who had passed away, has turned into a popular charity surfing phenomenon, raising funds for the victims of the 2005 Bali bombings, cancer research and the NBN telethon (a children’s cancer fund) among others.

This year we raised $14,500. We raised $12,000 for CanTeen. We gave $2000 to a guy whose wife just died and he hasn’t been able to work, because he was looking after her. We also gave $500 to the Catherine Hill Boardriders for all the years they’ve helped us out.