New report confirms surfing brings in $194M annually for Santa Cruz economy

Save The Waves is excited to release a groundbreaking study: Climate Vulnerability Of California’s Natural Surfing Capital. 

The 90-page report is the first-ever integration of Surfonomics with sea level rise data to better understand what can be lost, economically, if surf breaks are disrupted due to climate change.  

The most staggering takeaway: a “Surfonomics” analysis that estimates that surfing has an economic value of at least $194.7 million per year in Santa Cruz, CA with over 783,000 surf visits annually. 

The data and analysis revealed that all 31 surf breaks evaluated will see a decrease in surfable conditions at 1 foot of sea level rise. 

Our team at Save The Waves are proud to have partnered with Integral Consulting and Black Surf Santa Cruz, with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, on this project. 
Learn more about the study and view the full report


Dive Into The Results: Our Top Takeaways


Surfonomics

 

  • There are approximately 783,000 surf visits per year in Santa Cruz, CA

  • Surfing has an estimated economic value of at least $194.7 million per year in Santa Cruz, CA (see below for breakdown)

  • Surf trips by visitors generate an estimated $44.5 million annually in Santa Cruz

  • Spending in the broader Santa Cruz surfing economy on equipment and services contributes approximately $150.2 million each year


Sea Level Rise and Climate Change

 

  • Without adaptation measures, all 31 Santa Cruz surf breaks will lose quality and surfable hours and many breaks will be lost completely

  • Adaptation measures that remove revetments and utilize nature-based approaches will make surf breaks more resilient to sea level rise


Combined Vulnerability Impact

 

  • Sea level rise in Santa Cruz is projected to cause an estimated loss of $12.8 million in recreational economic value at one foot of SLR, with an additional $12.6 million at risk at two feet and a further $9.1 million at three feet
     

Access and Economic Barriers

 

  • Access and economic barriers, as well as psychological safety, prevent marginalized communities from fully engaging in surfing in Santa Cruz and participating in the surfing economy

As a report, Climate Vulnerability of California’s Natural Surfing Capital: Insights on Surfonomics and Surf Break Vulnerability from Santa Cruz for Local and Statewide Consideration is divided by its research and results into four parts:

  1. Surfonomics and the Economic Value of Surfing
  2. Surf Break Vulnerability Assessment, i.e., the sensitivity loss of waves to sea level rise
  3. Evaluation of the Social Dynamics of Surfing
  4. Policy and Adaptation Recommendations
What's Next?

The final report and our team offers specific policy recommendations and planning frameworks to help incorporate surf break protection into local and state-level climate adaptation strategies. 

Save The Waves Coalition urges immediate action by state agencies to implement a statewide policy to recognize these places.

Stay subscribed and connect with us as we continue to explore pathways towards surf break protection in California.

"Surfing is more than a sport in Santa Cruz, it’s a cultural, economic, and environmental cornerstone. This study confirms what many in the community have felt: climate change is not a future issue. It's impacting our coastlines now and it’s happening for more surf cities in California than just Santa Cruz.

We have a much better understanding now of the surfonomics in Santa Cruz, but, more importantly, we have a blueprint for how to bring this statewide.

Surf ecosystems need to be embedded in the policy process. If they don’t have status, if they’re not recognized, we are losing out on the natural capital that we have."


Nik Strong-Cvetich
CEO of Save The Waves Coalition

Thank you to our partners at Integral Consulting and Black Surf Santa Cruz, and a special thank you to the Ocean Protection Council for supporting this crucial work.

Thank you to the authors of this report: 

Dave Anning, Ph.D, Environmental Economist, Integral Consulting

Bella Bonner, Founder and Executive Director, Black Surf Santa Cruz

Shaun Burns, Reserves Network Coordinator, Save The Waves Coalition

Sydney Harvey, Economic Analyst, Integral Consulting

Trent Hodges, Senior Program Manager, World Surfing Reserves and Campaigns, Save The Waves Coalition

Donna Meyers, Director of Conservation Impact, Save The Waves Coalition

David L. Revell, Ph.D., Coastal Geomorphologist, Principal, Integral Consulting

Diego Sancho Gallegos, Stewardship and Resilience Manager, Save The Waves Coalition

 

Additional thanks to: 

City of Santa Cruz Economic Development Department
Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve Local Stewardship Council
Surf Experts Panel Members
Joel Hersch
Dan Reineman

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