Want to buy a gift for the surfer or little beach lover in your life but don’t know where to start?
As you would hope, we live and breathe surfing. We know our kit and what we love to use when sat waiting for the waves. So, we’ve curated a gift list containing lots of local, eco-friendly and sustainable gifts for you. Many of which will help the recipient live with a little less plastic next year, so it’s a win-win for your lucky recipient and the planet!
What’s on our Christmas list this year
- Give an experience this year instead of a present. What better gift than (ahem!) a Freewave Surf Voucher? Splash out on a voucher from Freewave Surf Academy and it can be used for a Surfing Lesson, Coasteering Experience or SUP lesson. Check out our Experience Gift Vouchers
2. As much as we hate bringing plastic up from the beach it is important to try and give it a life, which is why we love this stunning beach clean plastic art. Michelle who is the artist behind Smartie Lids on the Beach said: My aim is to collect as many smartie lids and marine debris from the tide lines as I possibly can to raise awareness of the growing concern of the impact of plastics and waste in our oceans – as each bit of plastic removed from the beach is one bit less to be consumed by our precious marine life. I hope my work will inspire you and our younger generations to take better care of our waste and our beaches!
3. This recycled plastic Finisterre coat will keep you warm and dry, it has also been made using 80% recycled polyester and 20% organic cotton. There was lots of love for handwarmer pockets with fleece lining. Finisterre is a Cornish company with fab ethics and based next to Surfers Against Sewage, pop into their HQ and shop in St Agnes.
4. We are digging the idea of giving experiences this year and would love it if Santa popped a National Trust membership in the Freewave stocking. Not only do the National Trust maintain much of the Cornish Coastal path they also operate some carparks at some amazing beaches such as Sandymouth and Crantock. There are also some stunning houses and gardens you can visit on the odd day it rains on holiday! Think of it as a charitable donation and membership all rolled into one.
5. You can make little changes that are good for the environment in all aspects of surfing and that includes choosing an eco-friendly surf wax. Look out for an organic one as that way you won’t need a science degree to check out the chemicals and wax composition. We rate this organic Surf wax from ZumaJay
6. Another business who use waste they collect from the beach and repurpose it into jewellery is Plastic Oceanic from Penryn in Cornwall. Dan Has been a surfer and diver for many years and decided to start Plastic Oceanic as a way to try and help with the problem of ocean plastic pollution. As so much of the plastic they collected couldn’t be recycled they started a business to do something with it.
7. No need to worry about leakages in your kit bag or how to get rid of an empty plastic shampoo bottle if you make the switch to solid shampoo. We love this one from Surfers Against Sewage website
8. It is great to see how many reusable water bottles our surf lesson guests bring with them, but we are personally all about saying no to a takeaway cup next year. Did you know that in the UK alone we use an estimated 7 million take away cups a day and even if you say no to the lid the plastic coating on the cup makes it virtually impossible to recycle if thrown in general waste. This kind of stat got the team behind the Cornish reusable cups rCUP thinking and they came up with a stylish design using those discarded cups. Genius!
9. The Surfers Against Sewage website has a lush range of presents for the kids including this book: Little Turtle Turns the Tide. Little Turtle as he discovers the plastic problem, learns more from his new friends the sea animals, a bird and a mermaid, then has a big idea and goes out into the world to make a difference with the help of his friends and the world’s children. At the heart of the book is the message that we can all make a change and that there is still something we can do to help our planet. It encourages teamwork, friendships and working together to make a better place for us all to live.
10. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a tipple or two and this is one to raise a toast to. Morvenna Cornish Rum from the Cornish Distilling Co. Nestled in the hills overlooking the sea, the Cornish Distilling Co. is the first Cornish distillers of genuine British rum. From the fermentation of the molasses through to bottling, everything is done by them right here in Bude.
11. Our final gift that isn’t a thing. Perfect for that hard to buy person who loves the beach and ocean and wants to help make a difference. A Surfers Against Sewage membership will help with grassroots school beach cleans and lobbying parliament to protect our oceans. If you donate over £30 a year, you (or the person you buy for) will become an SAS Member and become part of the SAS family. You’ll be kept up to date with all their latest campaign developments and receive Pipeline magazine 3 times a year. You’ll also receive 10% off in the SAS Shop!
12. Via the Ocean supplies hand make jewellery inspired by the ocean. What’s more, when you buy something beautiful from them, they donate to one of several ocean charities
Hopefully, you’ll have found the perfect gift for your water-loving friend. If you want to live more sustainably next year you can’t go far wrong if you refuse plastic, reuse and repair what you have and recycle.
We choose to be more sustainable in all we do by being part of the SAS 250 club. You can read more about the 250Club here
Merry Christmas
Robin & the Freewave Surf team
