Students Make Waves To Save The Sea

A sea of students in pink and white surf hats piled into the Santa Monica City Hall council meeting on a Tuesday afternoon, all unified on one front: our ocean.

Surfers Who Serve is a student-led initiative composed of teens from across school districts who are deeply concerned about the safety and future of Santa Monica Bay. Teal Greene, co-founder of Surfers Who Serve, says they "don't want to inherit a polluted problem." Instead, they want to address the issue head-on. They stood before the Santa Monica City Council and demanded water safety transparency, renovated green infrastructure, improved storm drains, and even proposed a youth advisory role on the environmental committee to oversee this issue directly.

Teal hit home on some harsh realities regarding the Santa Monica Bay: "Three untreated sewage spills in Malibu [and] five harmful algae blooms killing marine life... Santa Monica Pier ranked the most polluted beach in California... making it worse than the Tijuana River mouth, which dumps 50,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Pacific every week." As a result, surfers now have to wait 72 hours after it rains before entering the ocean-something Surf Coach Dylan Sohngen says should not be normal. Repulsed by these facts, Teal and his peers are determined to alleviate the health risks now associated with simply enjoying a day at the beach.

Although algae blooms are naturally occurring, they're happening at a rate that is devastating marine life. Arshayan Desai, a rising senior at Brentwood High School, explains that the blooms "used to happen every 4 to 7 years. Now, we see them multiple times every year. That's not nature-it's us." Man-made pollutants are disrupting the ocean's ecosystem.

Whether you're a surfer or not, this issue affects all beachgoers. A quick dip in the ocean could lead to a range of infections. Joe Holscher, also a co-founder of Surfers Who Serve, raises awareness about swimmers frequently getting sick: "Over 600,000 gastrointestinal illnesses each year are suspected" to be caused by foreign bacteria in the Santa Monica Bay, and yet "nothing is stopping the runoff and garbage from entering the ocean."

Concerns over water quality have only intensified since the Palisades fires earlier this year. Heavy metals found in ash are now being funneled into the ocean through our storm drains. Elysse Champion, who was directly affected by the fires, stands firm and demands accountability, stating, "L.A. County's Measure W and Santa Monica's Measure V were passed to help fund stormwater capture, pollution prevention, and clean beach amenities... and yet water quality hasn't improved." She boldly asks: What is taking so long? Ian, an intern with the California Coastal Alliance, has done his due diligence, stating that "we are not really testing for all of these different heavy metals and chemicals... we don't really know what's out there." He urges the City Council to increase research and provide greater clarity regarding what's in our water.

Georgia Fay is quick to suggest installing "smart trash-catching systems in storm drains that stop garbage before it reaches the ocean," as well as launching an "adopt-a-storm drain" program where students and surfers partner with local businesses to sponsor and maintain the drains. Arshayan proposes building "new green infrastructure: rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable pavement," explaining that "these nature-based solutions slow down runoff, filter pollution, and restore balance."

Another student, Eden Tishbi, debunks the myth that seabirds are to blame, noting that "bird netting has already been installed" and that "other piers along the California coast also have seabirds, yet they don't have the same chronic pollution."

For these teens, Surfers Who Serve isn't just a summer assignment-they want to be part of the long-term solution. Jack Trinta pleads with council members to "co-create a Youth Coastal Action Plan [and] give students a voice in setting priorities, timelines, and accountability measures." They've teamed up with several organizations, including the California Coastal Alliance and the Blue Goal Initiative, to help make a lasting impact.

It's no secret that this generation is ready to step up, suggest science-based solutions, and take part in executing them to protect the coveted beaches of Santa Monica.

Surfers Who Serve are bonded by their love and commitment to the ocean in their backyard. They're hopeful that by showing up in front of the Santa Monica City Council, the current state of our ocean will finally be treated like the public health issue it is.

As a final remark, Elysse so eloquently states:

"The funding exists, the science is clear, and the health of our ocean, our community, and our future depends on the city treating this like the issue that it is. We need action, not more delays. Thank you."