Ocean lovers rallied together recently for our aquatic life, and 10 art-tweaked surfboards certainly came to the party, raising R712 000 for the cause!
Cape Town, South Africa (30 March, 2023) — The Wavescape Surf & Ocean Festival was an epic celebration of our oceans that included beach cleanups, film screenings, ocean talks, and an iconic surfboard array.
In case you didn’t know, Wavescape are fans of changing the future of our ocean through art. Last year, they left an incredible public art gift to the Sea Point Prom that made us all fall in love with the sea a little more,
This year, 10 art-approved surfboards were the stars of the show. After all, their proceeds would benefit all-important ocean charities, including the NSRI, 9Miles Project, Beach Co-op, Shark Spotters and Ocean Pledge.
Drenched in art and quirky thoughts like ‘We Are The Adults’ (Brett Murray), different boards spoke to different minds. However, one board stood out among all of them for obvious reasons.
It was a gorgeous portrait of none other than environmental icon David Attenborough by Marty Lund. according to Wavescape, legend has it that it was a huge relief for Marty who had to repaint the board to avoid it looking ‘Donald Trump Orange’ after a chemical reaction during the glassing process.
Alone, it fetched R115 000 for our oceanic heroes.
Coming in second place was an ode to flora by Lee-Ann Heath (R110 000), followed by a Marie-Louise Koen surfboard scene. All in all, the surfboards raised R712 000—no spare change!
Here’s What the Crews Receiving the Surfboard-Proceeds Do:
- NSRI: The National Sea Rescue Institute are not just human life savers (though, they do that often too). They’re also responsible for helping hundreds of aquatic animals when trapped or in danger.
- 9 Miles Project: A non-profit that works with young people in informal settlements around the coast, providing them a safer space to grow and love the ocean.
- Beach Co-opt: Our heroes in beach clean-ups who have at present removed 7 tons of plastic from beaches.
- Shark Spotters: The heroes behind the binoculars who are involved in socially responsible mitigation measures and conservation research.
- Ocean Pledge: A team focused on Zero Waste initiatives, environmental research and education plans for future ocean guardians.
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