Updates on new App tools, projects, and partnerships

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** Save The Waves App Newsletter #5
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Happy 2025, Wave Savers! I hope you’ve all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed time near or in the ocean. We’re kicking off the year with the latest installment of the Save The Waves App blog ([link removed]) where I share key updates and exciting stories from our global Coalition. We were fortunate to close 2024 on a high note with brand-new interactive maps and impactful partnerships, so hold on (and click around) as I run you through all of it!
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** New Interactive App Maps
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To kick off, we developed a new interactive App map, which you can see by scrolling halfway down the App webpage ([link removed]) . This map allows you to intuitively navigate the entire App dataset, sort through the different types of App report categories, and zoom in and out as you please (hold Ctrl while scrolling). Most importantly, you can click on each data point and view the relevant information, including images associated with each report (and download them!). For those of you data enthusiasts, check outthis heat map ([link removed]) that shows the global distribution of App reports (zoom in and out of the areas that pique your interest). This is the perfect snapshot of our global Coalition!
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** App Monitoring
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Now that you’ve clicked through the maps, or if you’ve been using the App lately, you are probably wondering why we have so many App reports of totora reeds in Peru. In 2024, as part of the World Surfing Reserve (WSR) Stewardship Fund, we piloted a monitoring project ([link removed]) in the Huanchaco WSR. More cool maps came out of this project, including beautiful drone footage, which you can check out here ([link removed]) . You can toggle the App reports on and off if you’re interested, but there are more than 1,400 of them, so you’ve been warned! We hope to replicate this work in other project sites in the coming year alongside some critical App updates to facilitate the impact monitoring process.


** Meet Our New Partners
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Tied to the success of our programs around the world, we’ve developed two new partnerships around the App and stewardship of surf ecosystems.

First, Lineup.surf ([link removed]) , the “Surfline of Latin America”, has stepped in to support our work by providing their users across Latin America with an avenue to report threats to surf ecosystems. They’re developing a button that will direct users to the App directly from their mobile and web platforms. This is just the beginning of our partnership as we will continue to develop tools in the coming months in hopes of leveraging their technology for conservation (read all about in Spanish ([link removed]) & Portuguese ([link removed]) , and your browser can auto-translate to English).

Our second partnership is with Skyline webcams, who have provided a free live stream ([link removed]) directly from Huanchaco WSR–building on our monitoring program and in hopes of piloting livestreams as a monitoring tool for project sites globally. We’re developing this application to be replicable and impactful, finding ways to store the data and process key changes in the wave or coastline. With full autonomy over where to place the cameras, and a relatively inexpensive price point, this might just be the beginning of a global surf ecosystem monitoring network.


** Spotlight: Low Pressure Inc.’s Stormrider Surf Guides
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These two partnerships come on the heels of a widely successful corporate partnership with Low Pressure Inc., the publishers of the Stormrider Surf Guides. In their recently launched online surf travel guide ([link removed]) (which I highly recommend, the user experience is top notch), they’ve included the Save The Waves App in their environment section ([link removed]) as a tool for surfers around the world to take action. While this was the starting point to our collaboration, we have expanded it to a comprehensive data-sharing agreement which has allowed Save The Waves to utilize their global dataset of 5000+ surf breaks and their characteristics to further surf conservation.

This data supported the development of two scholarly papers exploring the overlap of irrecoverable Carbon and surf ecosystems ([link removed]) , and planning protected area networks around surf breaks in California ([link removed]) , in addition toSurf Conservation Indexes ([link removed]) for Chile, Indonesia, and Panama. The Stormrider Surf Guides are the result of extensive surf travel, beginning in the mid-1980s, and close collaboration with local surfers and experienced travellers in each region of the world. You can read the story behind the company (and why we like working with them) here
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** Reminder: App Data Is Publicly Available
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Finally, I wanted to remind everyone that all App data is publicly available through our data sharing webpage ([link removed]) . Just fill in the form and you will have access to the spreadsheet with all reports, image links, coordinates, report dates and categories. This can support local and/or global advocacy, policy, and management, as well as any personal projects.


** Report Santa Cruz Wharf Debris
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For those of you in Santa Cruz, California, help the City of Santa Cruz clean up debris from the municipal wharf collapse ([link removed]) on December 24th by reporting it on the App – we will forward all reports directly to the City.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for exciting new App features in 2025 and thanks for supporting our work to protect surf ecosystems around the world!

Pura vida,

Diego

P.S. If any of these updates elicited a strong emotional response, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and we can geek out together!
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** Don't forget to download the Save The Waves App!
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"Empowering surfers, beach-goers and ocean lovers to report and track coastal threats in real-time."

Available in iOS and Android.
Download today ([link removed]) !
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** Already have the App? Make sure you have the latest version and report threats as you see them.
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Report erosion, sewage, trash, access issues and more.
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