Imagine yourself floating on your surfboard in Fuerteventura, the water is crystal clear and you can see the coral formations on the lava rock seabed below you; now picture yourself paddling out in grey dirty mush where the water has an odd soapy film covering it.  Which one do you prefer?
 
Looking after our waves, oceans and environment should be second nature to you if you surf, because if you don't look after it then your literally going to be swimming in the muck.  
 
Thinking about what wetsuit you buy, looking after it and even how you dispose of it (think recycle) can make a big difference to the environment if everyone does it.  The chemicals used to produce a wetsuit or your surfboard are normally toxic to the environment, taking hundreds if not thousands of years to decompose.  Also, the manufacturing process itself creates toxic fumes and waste which is often flushed out into the environment.  Shocking really in a day and age when we have so much knowledge of what effects our environment.
 
So what can we do to be better to our earth and our waves?  Thinking about where your wetsuit or board is produced, what it's made of and how it has been made is a good place to start.  

 
 
If you want the surf industry to be greener, make a point of choosing your gear wisely.  To help you along the way here are some starting points for surf companies that are trying something different:
 
Surfboards:
 
Eden Project www.edenproject.com
 
Joel Blackman www.joelblackman.co.uk
 
Ecomoana www.ecomoana.com

 
 
Wetsuits:
 
Body Glove www.bodyglove.com