Why I Love the Beach

Why I love the Beach

I'll never forget my first memory of being at the beach, I was probably four years old and my mothers entire family drove down on what is now the toll road to Rosarito. We parked on the side of the road, and walked down the side of a cliff that had make shift steps - the kind made with rubber tires and wood. I've seen a video and some pictures of those days at the beach with the Orozco family - you cannot help but notice how happy everyone is in those images.

When I was in high school, we spent every spring break and every summer at the beach with friends, enjoying the sun and the waves at Marine Street and Scripps in La Jolla.

After high school my childhood friend Adam and I moved up to Westwood to attend UCLA. We had a few weeks before school started so we went looking for a beach to surf/bodyboard. We ended up in Manhattan Beach in front of the blue beach house that was featured on the TV show 90210. This became our beach away from home. One day near the peer in Manhattan Beach, Adam, Mario and I were all fortunate to get barreled within minutes of each other. The barrel of the wave is an amazing place to be, the sound and the view from within are like nothing else.

The summer before I graduated from UCLA I spent nearly everyday at the beach. I paddled out into the water even on days when the waves were not even rideable because the ocean is where I was most peaceful in life. The ocean is where I didn't have to think about the future.

Now that the future is here, the future I was so uncertain about, I can appreciate how important it is to have safe access to clean beaches for everyone to enjoy.

Our friend dk throws a poker party every year and a large portion of the proceeds have gone to charity in years past. This year dk mixed it up a bit, and asked us to highlight the charity of our choice.

Surfrider Foundation

I am proud to say that today I joined the Surfrider Foundation because I believe in their mission and support their initiatives.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.

Clean Water
Our initiative to protect and restore coastal water quality from the ridges, through our watersheds and out to the nearshore ocean where we surf, swim and recreate.

Beach Access
Our initiative to promote the right of low-impact, free and open access to the world's waves and beaches for all people.

Beach Preservation
Our initiative to protect and preserve healthy beaches that are important coastal ecosystems and recreational areas.

Protecting Special Places
Our initiative to proactively conserve, protect, and restore special coastal and ocean places.

Thank you to dk for letting us choose our charity this year. Below is the playing card for the 2009 Purpose Inc. SEO Poker Tournament, if you are going to Pubcon there is no excuse for you not to attend - you can even register as a non-playing guest for free.

Special thanks to our friend dk

I happened to have seen an advanced copy of the backside of this playing card - dk carved out some space on the back of the card under the Wednesday Midnight spot for an event that is once in a lifetime for our family. Thank you dk!