A Drop in the Ocean

Here at KoS I want to inspire local action on environmental conservation and global pollution. One of the easiest ways that you can be inspired to make significant change in your own life is to watch a powerful documentary. The most recent one I watched was 'Cowspiracy - The Sustainability Secret' by Kip Anderson, which does an excellent job of using simple graphics and data to demonstrate the impacts animal agriculture has both on the land and on the ocean. It's helped me make changes and consciously think about the impacts of eating meat and has drastically reduced my meat consumption. I'm still working on it!

I came across this website a couple of days ago which has documentaries up the wazoo. You can choose from a range of categories. Of course I'm going to encourage you to look at the 'environment' category and check out the one's that spark your interest. There are many new releases which I'm keen to check out myself!

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/category/environment/

We can always learn more about how the choices we make impact the world around us. From  choosing to eat a piece of steak at dinner, to going to feed dolphin pods on the shoreline. When it comes to the environment, every decision has a consequence.

I will leave you with a quote..

"We are tied to the Ocean,
And when we go back to the sea
Whether it is to sail or to watch
We are going back from whence we came".

- John F Kennedy-

Happy watching...

Luke.

Sunday session at Torquay

After a long work week, I was busting to get in the water. I looked up the Hurley Surf report and Magicseaweed reports to see how the surf was looking along the VIC south coast.

Saturday wasn't really a go but Sunday forecast was a light offshore with a 2-3ft swell. Torquay it was! The tide was low at around 1pm so a morning ride was definitely worth the drive from Ringwood.

I arrived at about 10am and the beach was already quite busy, with the nippers knee boarders out and the surf patrol taking up a good chunk of ocean space.

Never the less it was brilliant being back in the water again after a couple of weeks out. Most clean days at Torquay, you don't have to work very hard to catch waves, just float out the back, relax and time your run well. Managed to catch a few crisp left handers not far from Cosy Corner. The waves always break right from the edge, but if the swell and tides are just the correct mix, they re-break to a left to get a decent ride for all you goofys out there.

I ride a FST Firewire 6'6 and works really well in smaller conditions. You have the float but still get the performance of a shorter board. It also has the balsa rails and epoxy mix so it can take a slightly heavier beating than a standard fibreglass. 

Anyway it looks like the beaches are rearing up for a busy summer, so look out for others in the water, respect your fellow riders and take care out there! Mostly have fun!

-View from the top of Torquay Surf Beach Sun 22 Nov 2015 -

A great day at Portsea!

Hey all,

Thought I would share some great pics from a pumping clean day at Portsea (VIC) during winter a couple of years ago. Conditions were about 4ft offshore. My mate ended up fracturing the front end of his board that day!

Was a cold, and exhausting day, but well worth the effort! Winter swells, with little crowds more than make up for the cold water.

Enjoy the pics.

-My mate Ross and I at the lookout-

-Nice right hander-

Welcome to the new blogpage KoS Immerse Yourself!

My name is Luke and I'm an experienced international development practitioner and a passionate conservationist based in Melbourne.

KoS means ‘Kin of Sea’, and by being part of KoS, you are part of protecting the ocean, surf culture and way of life of coastal communities around the world. The blog is in it's infancy but will aim to:

Draw on personal experiences from my international aid and conservation work

Share and link with partners and organisations doing great work around the world

Local surf coast news

Highlight and raise awareness on important conservation and coastal community issues.  

At KoS we encourage you to 'Immerse yourself' in the moment, the ride, the experience and learn as much as you can about the world around you. Challenge what you think you know and understand how your actions impact the world around you. Simple choices from what you eat, to what you say, and how you travel all have consequences both positive and negative.

As humans, we have one chance to look after the natural world. If we don't protect it, we lose it. More to come…