The Surfrider Podcast

Despite federal environmental rollbacks and budget cuts to NOAA and EPA, the Surfrider Foundation secured more than 40 coastal victories in 2025 — proving that grassroots activism and community-level action can still deliver real results for ocean protection. CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen and senior staff Emma Haydocy and Miho Ligare reflect on groundbreaking wins, including the completion of the 30-year Surfers Point coastal adaptation project and the Climate Action Program's restoration of 20+ acres of coastal habitat with the help of over 2,000 volunteers. The team also shares how Ocean Friendly Restaurants served 42 million single-use plastic-free meals, and Surfrider brought the plastics crisis to international negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.But 2026 brings urgent new threats. The Trump administration is proposing to open the coasts of California, Florida, and Alaska to new offshore drilling — sparking bipartisan opposition from coastal communities across the country. With federal protections crumbling and a January 23, 2026, public comment deadline looming, this episode breaks down what's at stake and how you can take action at surfrider.org. Whether you're concerned about beach erosion, plastic pollution, water quality, or climate change impacts on your favorite coastline, discover how Surfrider's network of volunteers, chapters, and policy experts is protecting the beaches you love — and how you can join the movement.
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The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires didn't just devastate communities — they unleashed a cascade of toxic contamination into Southern California's coastal waters. When flames consumed over 16,000 structures in the Palisades and Eaton fires, they created a new environmental crisis: ash, heavy metals, PFAS chemicals, and hazardous debris washing directly into the Pacific Ocean.

In this episode, we are joined by Eugenia Emacora, Surfrider’s LA Chapter Manager, and Mara Dias, Senior Manager of Surfrider’s Water Quality Initiative, to dive deep into Surfrider’s critical efforts to protect public health and the marine environment by conducting frontlines post-fire water quality testing and keeping the local community informed. 

We examine what contaminants are actually in the water, what the data reveals about safety for swimmers, surfers, and marine life, and how Surfrider is advocating for transparency and environmental protections during the complex federal cleanup process. This episode explores how communities can build coastal resilience through nature-based solutions.

Whether you're a concerned beachgoer, environmental advocate, or coastal community member, this episode provides essential information about navigating water safety in the aftermath of urban wildfires — and how Surfrider’s network of local activists is fighting to protect the coasts we all love.
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When half of America's beaches could vanish by 2100, what's the solution? Join Surfrider’s Climate Action Program Manager Carla Avila-Martinez and Coasts & Climate Initiative Sr. Manager Emma Haydocy as they reveal how Surfrider's network is restoring America’s coastlines using nature-based solutions like planting mangrove forests, removing invasive plant species , and restoring coastal dunes. This episode also features Paul Jenkin, the dedicated campaign leader who spent decades fighting to save Ventura’s iconic Surfers' Point — and won. Listen now to discover why working with nature beats fighting against it, how Surfrider’s grassroots activists are leading coastal climate adaptation projects nationwide, and what your community can do to protect local beaches from rising seas and extreme weather.
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In this episode, we explore Surfrider’s decades-long campaign against offshore drilling and the devastating environmental costs of our dependence on fossil fuels with Surfrider CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen and Surfrider’s Ocean Protection Manager, Pete Stauffer. We also hear from Violet Sage Walker, the Chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council — nominators of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary — and learn about her multigenerational connection to the California coast, and her Tribe’s battle to protect our ocean and beaches from the harms of offshore drilling, dating back to a 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara.
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Over 40 years ago, a group of surfers from Malibu, California, were concerned about escalating coastal development at their favorite surf spot, and they took action. In this episode, we hear from Surfrider’s co-founder Glenn Hening, world champion surfer and Surfrider’s first ambassador Shaun Tomson, and current CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen to explore the motivation behind and the evolution of Surfrider’s environmental mission to become the world’s most impactful grassroots coastal and ocean conservation organization.
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