Surfacing Tension: Toward a Political Ecological Critique of Surfing Representations

ABSTRACT

Historically, surfing has been perceived as an environmentally conscious endeavor. Some attribute this environmentalism to the ways in which surfing became a manifestation of American counter-cultural political movements of the 1960s and 1970s, although others, like deep ecologists, indicate an inherent environmentalism in surfing, which makes surfing an important tool in developing an ecologically mature 'self'. The evolution of surf culture, however, presents complexities to these representations; the commodification of surfing introduces contradictions to surfing as ecologically benign. Technological advances, while dramatically changing the face of surfing, have also had significant impacts on the environment. Surfparks, world travel, and the construction of surfboards bring to light not only the complications of an environmentally conscious surfer, but also the complexities which all humans face as ecological actors. Surfing may lead to an ecological ethic, but at what cost to the environment? Using the critical theory of political ecology, this research aims to illuminate the contradictory relationship between representations of surfing and the environment.