The Surfrider Podcast

Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert joins Surfrider CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen to confront the federal government's push to expand offshore oil drilling off California, Florida, and Alaska. As the new five-year offshore leasing plan takes shape, they cut through the "energy emergency" narrative, explain why more domestic drilling won't lower prices at the pump, and trace the real cost of oil spills — from Santa Barbara and Refugio to Huntington Beach and Deepwater Horizon — for the coastal communities and taxpayers left paying for them.

Ryan shares how Patagonia evolved from funding grassroots groups to suing a sitting president over Bears Ears National Monument, and why he believes outdoor recreation business leaders can't stay silent. Chad breaks down the Coastal Zone Management Act, the battle with Sable in Santa Barbara, and the recent Endangered Species Act rollback. Plus: why paddle outs and community advocacy still move decision-makers, and how you can get involved and take action with Surfrider.

In 2005, a proposed six-lane toll road threatened to pave through and destroy San Onofre State Beach and its world-famous break, Trestles. This episode reveals how the Save San Onofre Coalition, Surfrider Foundation, and the Acjachemen Nation joined forces to stop it — protecting a coastline shaped by nearly 10,000 years of Indigenous history. Host David Scales talks with Surfrider's Coastal Adaptation Manager Alex Ferron Mignogna, Acjachemen Nation Tribal Chairman Nathan Banda, and longtime California State Parks lifeguard Steve Long about how a grassroots coalition took on a multi-billion-dollar highway project — and won.

But saving Trestles from asphalt didn't end the fight. Today, San Onofre faces chronic coastal erosion, a forecast "Super Niño" winter, and the countdown to the 2028 LA Olympics, where Lower Trestles will host the world's best surfers on a global stage. This episode explores Surfrider's nature-based solutions for coastal resilience and what's at stake for public beach access and tribal cultural resources, and how you can help protect Trestles for generations to come.

A "Super El Niño" is building in the Pacific, and forecasters warn the 2026–27 winter could bring some of California's most powerful storms, highest seas, and worst coastal erosion in decades. But the greater long-term threat isn't the waves — it's how we respond to them. Surfrider CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen and Dr. Charles Lester, director of UC Santa Barbara's Ocean and Coastal Policy Center, unpack what makes this El Niño so strong, and what back-to-back storms could mean for a coast where up to 70% of beaches are at risk of disappearing by 2100. This conversation centers on the knee-jerk reaction to armor shorelines with seawalls and revetments — and the "coastal squeeze" that quietly erases the beaches in front of them. Our guests explain why emergency armoring is the wrong answer to a disaster we can see coming, and make the case for pragmatic coastal adaptation. It's a clear-eyed, hopeful look at how Californians can protect their public beaches and coastal access, before the storms hit.

In this episode, join the Surfrider Foundation's Healthy Beaches Program Manager Jenny Harrah and Plastic Pollution Initiative Sr. Manager Miho Ligare as they break down the data behind the organization's 40-year beach cleanup program — including the 2025 Beach Cleanup Report, which tracked the efforts of 34,000 volunteers at over 1,000 cleanups to remove 340,000 pounds of trash from beaches across the U.S.

This conversation explores why plastic pollution accounts for 85% of what's collected, why cigarette butts remain the #1 item found nationwide, and how Surfrider's volunteer-collected data, powered by the Better Beach Alliance, is used to drive meaningful change in environmental policy and legislation. Plus, learn how anyone can host their own beach cleanup, even without a local Surfrider chapter nearby.

Visit https://www.surfrider.org/pages/beach... to learn more and get involved now!

Sun protection is important to protect your health, but depending on what type of sunscreen you use, it could also be harming marine life while also exposing you to chemical sunscreen ingredients. Y

In this episode, we're joined by Katie Day, Surfrider's Senior Manager of Science and Policy, to unpack the concerning science behind the active ingredients in chemical sunscreens that are shown to be toxic to marine ecosystems, and have been proven capable of permeating into the deeper layers of your skin and entering your bloodstream. Our conversation explores why the FDA recommended removing chemical UV filters from its "generally recognized as safe and effective" list back in 2019, and why that final ruling still hasn't been issued. We also get into what "reef safe" actually means, why Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands have banned certain chemical sunscreens, and why protecting coral reefs — which cover just 1% of the ocean but support 25% of all marine life — is more urgent than ever.

The good news: making the switch to a healthier option for you and the ocean is simple. Give this episode a listen to dive deeper, and visit surfrider.org to prepare for summer beach days with Surfrider's Reef-Friendly Sunscreen Guide.

Clean water is essential for healthy beaches, but across the country, aging infrastructure, population growth, and climate-driven storms are pushing our wastewater systems past their limits. In this episode, we're joined by Surfrider's Clean Water Initiative Associate Director, Mara Dias, and Blue Water Task Force Volunteer Mitch Milligan to dig into what's really behind the rise in sewage spills and beach bacteria hotspots from coast to coast.

Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force is on the front lines, turning community science into actionable data to help the public understand a simple truth: just because the water looks clean doesn't mean it is.

Through hands-on water quality testing and advanced DNA tracking, Surfrider volunteers are connecting the dots between upstream infrastructure failures and downstream health risks, all while building community support to drive real solutions. It's a story about local action with national impact, and a reminder that your local water quality is just as important as your weather forecast when planning your next beach day — so visit https://www.surfrider.org/programs/blue-water-task-force to check the latest water quality data to keep you and your family safe, because no one should get sick from a day at the beach.

Legendary pro surfer Rob Machado is widely regarded as one of the most influential and stylish surfers of all time. But Rob's relationship with and impact on surfing and the ocean run much deeper than his professional career.

In this episode, Rob shares about his deep family roots in Southern California and traces his personal journey as an ocean advocate — from taking water samples for Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force as a high school student in Cardiff to founding the Rob Machado Foundation, which has installed water refill stations across San Diego County schools and eliminated millions of single-use plastic bottles. In this wide-ranging conversation, he opens up about the competitive mindset that took him to the pinnacle of the world tour, why that famous high-five with Kelly Slater at Pipeline actually deepened his connection to what surfing should be, and how becoming a father shifted his priorities from tour life to environmental stewardship.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we're joined by Surfrider's Ocean Protection Manager, Pete Stauffer, and Surfrider's CEO, Dr. Chad Nelsen, to learn more about what will happen next in the complicated and consequential offshore oil drilling process unfolding now that the initial public comment period has ended. We also discuss what obligation, if any, the federal government has to listen to and "consider" the overwhelming popular opposition to its expansive offshore drilling plans, which are putting over 1 billion acres of our ocean and coasts at risk.

Join us to learn more about how your local beach could be affected, who ultimately pays the price when oil spills happen, and what comes next in Surfrider's fight to protect our coasts from offshore drilling.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re joined by Surfrider’s Ocean Protection Manager, Pete Stauffer, and Surfrider’s CEO, Dr. Chad Nelsen, to learn more about what will happen next in the complicated and consequential offshore oil drilling process unfolding now that the initial public comment period has ended. We also discuss what obligation, if any, the federal government has to listen to and “consider” the overwhelming popular opposition to its expansive offshore drilling plans, which are putting over 1 billion acres of our ocean and coasts at risk.

Join us to learn more about how your local beach could be affected, who ultimately pays the price when oil spills happen, and what comes next in Surfrider’s fight to protect our coasts from offshore drilling.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite federal environmental rollbacks and budget cuts to NOAA and EPA, the Surfrider Foundation secured more than 40 coastal victories in 2025 — proving that grassroots activism and community-level action can still deliver real results for ocean protection. CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen and senior staff Emma Haydocy and Miho Ligare reflect on groundbreaking wins, including the completion of the 30-year Surfers Point coastal adaptation project and the Climate Action Program's restoration of 20+ acres of coastal habitat with the help of over 2,000 volunteers. The team also shares how Ocean Friendly Restaurants served 42 million single-use plastic-free meals, and Surfrider brought the plastics crisis to international negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. But 2026 brings urgent new threats. The Trump administration is proposing to open the coasts of California, Florida, and Alaska to new offshore drilling — sparking bipartisan opposition from coastal communities across the country. With federal protections crumbling and a January 23, 2026, public comment deadline looming, this episode breaks down what's at stake and how you can take action at surfrider.org. Whether you're concerned about beach erosion, plastic pollution, water quality, or climate change impacts on your favorite coastline, discover how Surfrider's network of volunteers, chapters, and policy experts is protecting the beaches you love — and how you can join the movement.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices