30th June 2007 - The Start!

June has been a manic month. Helen and I have both agreed we want to do this project together and have committed the next year to the filming of this documentary.

The end of May beginning of June saw South Wales having nearly 2 weeks of consistant surf and lovely weather - a rare combination in the summer.  The rest of the month hasn't lived up to the earlier promise and has been pretty much flat or so windy that what little swell was there has been blown out.  The flat spell has been accompanied by torrential rain. From what I've seen we've got off lightly here with little in the way of flooding but that doesn't mean there's been no side affects to the heavy rain.  For water users and surfer it was probably a good thing that there was no surf when the rain started. With the ground baked hard from weeks of sunshine and no rain the first torrential rainfall would have had difficulty infiltrating the soil and would have just run off quickly into rivers, storm drains and the sea.  The problem with this is the flash floods that were seen in the north of England and pollution.

The pollution comes from 2 sources:

Direct runoff from the land, for example, after a big tide or heavy rainfall sheep poo can be found in the lineup round Gower from the sheep that graze the coastline.  Other pollutants such as pesticides and fertiliser aren't so visible.

Rain in built up areas is unable to infiltrate the soil anyway so the water runs into drains and in most towns and cities these storm drains are linked to the sewage system with overflow outlets going straight into the sea or other open water source.   So during periods of heavy and extended rainfall the sewage system is unable to cope and sewage is mixed with rain runoff in the overflow pipes.

With predictions for climate change in this country including longer dry spells followed by more volitile storms and heavier rainfall this occasional problem might become a permanent one with major effects on marine life and the health of surfers.

This is one of the key concerns of Surfers Against Sewage a group that have successfully battled for cleaner waters around Britain for the last 30 years. They have also released a report this week on how climate change is and will possibly affect surfers and the coastal environment. It makes for interesting reading and is clearly set out for the average surfer to understand.

Next week Helen and I are off to Cornwall to meet up with the SAS guys and find out what they have to say.

I'm also hoping to make the most of now and score some waves after a barren 2 weeks.