Go Green by Helping to Keep it Blue!
Pro surfer Jenny Flannigan surfing eastern Lake Superior
For as long as I can remember, I have been mesmerized by water. As a young boy Michigan's largest river, the Grand, was my backyard. I would stand in awe as the early spring currents moved swiftly past me.
"Where was that water going? Where could it take me?" I used to wonder. Later in the summer on our family boat trips, I would be in the stern, eyes locked for hours on the endless curl that peeled from our wake. It was this fascination with waves that really took hold of me as a teenager and continues now into adulthood.
Surfing on the Great Lakes has been a passion for me for over 25 years. But I was not among the first surfers who ventured out into the fresh-water waves with board in hand; they came 20 years before me.
Each season experienced surfers will surf from spring into the winter, where under 6mm of neoprene they harness 6-10 foot waves. It was among these conditions where I learned a respect for the awesome power of the Great Lakes.
Local Marc Hoeksema surfing Grand Haven; note the line where the water changes from brown to blue.
The more time I spent on the water, the more I began to see and understand the nuances of this environment. The powerful rip currents can sweep an unsuspecting swimmer out to sea. The color of the water changes depending on the sky that day, or in my case in Grand Haven, the amount of rain that fell the day before.
The Grand River winds some 260 miles through large cities and through miles of farmland and subdivisions before reaching Lake Michigan in Grand Haven. As a boy I discovered the many "treasures" left behind after the spring rains. There were beverage containers, balloons, fishing gear, and various other plastics. But later as a surfer, I began to realize it was the things I could not see that were causing the most problems for us.
Sewage overflows, industrial waste, pesticides and fertilizers all seep downward and eventually reach the river. After heavy rains, the water can be covered in a slime that reminds you of a strong chemical detergent or even an overflowing outhouse. The earaches and sinus infections take hold immediately.
Surfing in these conditions eventually pushed me to try and make a difference. But I never wanted to be an "environmentalist." I saw many of them as unrealistic and hypocritical. I was not ready to give up my foam-core surfboard anyway. It just seemed like such a huge problem. How could I possibly make a difference?
Vince Deur surfing across the Lake in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
As it turned out for me, that "grand" river really did take me somewhere. My love for waves led me to circle each Great Lake and travel to six countries to highlight coastal issues for a couple documentary projects.
Throughout these experiences I came to realize that we are all polluters to some degree. However, after meeting so many people around the world who are working for change, I know now that we can improve. We can build better sewage treatment plants; we can find cleaner ways to care for our crops and our yards; we can all help keep our shorelines free of trash... but we can only do it together.
Vince Deur is a Great Lakes Surfer, filmmaker (Unsalted & Eco-Warrior), and Co-Chair of the Lake Michigan Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
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