As we go to print, southern Arizona is experiencing a 30-day heat wave with temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit creating atmospheric conditions hot enough to liquify asphalt, kill cacti, and melt the tail light right off of your car. At the same time, southern Florida's coastal water temperatures are soaring into the triple digits, bleaching out and killing the already fragile coral reef systems in the Keys. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that global ocean surface temperatures hit a record high for June, which marks the third-consecutive month where ocean surface temperatures broke a record. We've all heard the warnings, we know the planet is in trouble, and the signs are continuing to show.
One of the groups that's doing amazing things to de-risk the threat of coral extinction is the team from Reef Renewal USA in the Florida Keys. I got an invite in early May from my friend Tom Myers to pay them a visit and participate firsthand in some of the work they are doing. As I rolled up to the residence of Ken and Denise Nedimyer I was immediately greeted by the man himself who was eager to get in the water as the weather was clear, the wind was light, and he had a pile of work to get done that day. "Yeah, nice to meet you. Are you ready to go??" I could see the slight tap in Ken's foot as exemplary of a guy who's constantly got too much to do and never enough time. I threw on my wetsuit, helped load the boat with tanks, tools, and coral fragments, then rode with Ken and Tom to the boat ramp a few blocks from the house.
Before long we were 10 miles off the coast and floating above the Tavernier nursery where Ken and his team were planting and managing hundreds of elkhorn and staghorn coral trees. Elkhorn coral is one of the most important corals in the Caribbean providing the necessary habitat for fish and other animals who are critical to the reef's broader ecosystem. Ken and his team are completely and genuinely self-motivated to protect these reefs from becoming an environmental casualty. I am in awe of the selfless pursuit and extreme dedication, day in and day out, to preserve these critical life systems. Their daily agenda is simple and effective by design - find the most resilient coral strains possible, then grow and plant as many as you can. I knew I had to help tell this story. I'd like to send a big thank you and a huge shout out to Dr. Steven Shepard who does an incredible job representing the value and impact Ken and his team are making in his article "Saving the Reefs, Saving Ourselves" in this issue.
Resiliency could be considered a theme for this issue once you read the story about the heroics of freediver Alex Llinas. Alex is a multi-sport endurance athlete, underwater stuntman, and surfer/windsurfer who's overcome a huge amount of personal trauma to land him on the world’s stage as a competitive freediver. Born in Colombia with a strong connection to the ocean, Alex found his serenity in the water when confronted with childhood and health-related adversities channeling his beginnings as a waterman into the professional arena of breath holding apnea divers.
Dylan Stott is back and dives deep into the heart and soul of a surfer’s relationship to their shaper. We all need one - not just for the bespoke hand-made craft to be created - but for the motivation, the coaching, and the grounding we all need when soul-searching for the board we think we need but don't know why we need it. Next, You will want to pack up your favorite equipment and head to the iconic island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal. A recent "can't say no" opportunity to join a crew of professional surfers, wingers and foilers was just too good for our Editor-in-Chief, Evelyn O’Doherty, to pass up! This was synchronicitous after a timely meet-and-greet Evelyn experienced the week before she left with journalist & author William Finnegan. Finnegan is the author of the best-selling memoir Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life which details the writer's surfing life in extraordinary detail, finishing with his particular love affair with the waves and lifestyle of Madeira.
Our "On the Water '' gallery is fully saturated with stunning images from the most recent downwind events in Maui and Hood River where stand up foiling saw a huge increase in numbers. Session’s serial writer Steve West reminds us of the value of our beloved surf photographers who spend fortunes on expensive equipment and dedicate themselves to putting it all in harm's way to get the shot. I couldn't be more excited to share an insane shot from photographer Brad Sissins who captured the first airborne Hobie Cat since the historic "Flying Cat" image that helped launch the catamaran lifestyle back in 1969.
Finally, I want to send out a sincere thank you to you, our readers, for taking time to slow down, sit back, and crack the cover on our latest work. As you will no doubt notice as you leaf through the following pages, this magazine is largely reader-supported by people just like you. We're extremely grateful for the opportunity to offer advertising space to our collective ocean guardian nonprofits who have dedicated themselves to protecting our world’s greatest asset. As we think about all the ways we benefit personally from our connection to water, let's be conscious of the enormous value the ocean and its tributaries bring to our wellbeing. We need all be ever-mindful of the ways we can contribute to its preservation and health.
With gratitude,
Russ
