President Aníbal Cavaco Silva of Portugal released a statement endorsing the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve, which will be officially dedicated as the first World Surfing Reserve on the European continent on October 14th, 2011. He acknowledged the significance of preserving the surfing coastline for not only the thousands of Portuguese surfers, but also for the vitality of Portugal’s economy, the health of the coastal and marine environment, and maintaining a high quality of life for residents.

“When we talk of surfing at our beaches, we are talking about much more than a sport: we are evoking a lifestyle and a relationship with the sea that is very Portuguese, a relationship that is natural and ancestral,” President Silva states. “The designation of Ericeira as a World Surfing Reserve should serve as an example to stimulate everyone to aspire to a more environmentally healthy country with an excellent standard of living.” *

The Ericeira coastline will officially be dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve on October 14th, 2011. The dedication ceremony will honor Ericeira’s unique surf history, culture, and environment.This ceremony will include a sunrise paddle out at Ribeira d’Ilhas followed by the official dedication event at the Parque de Santa Marta in Ericeira. More details about the dedication schedule and the event’s special touches will be made available in the next couple of days at worldsurfingreserves.org.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Not long ago, Anthony Ruffo surfed everywhere from Santa Cruz to South Africa, a glamorous life of big waves, photo shoots and beautiful women, bankrolled by corporate sponsors.

“Ruffo was a big deal, definitely someone you wanted to be like,” said Shawn Barron, another Santa Cruz surfer.

Today, Mr. Ruffo is staring at prison. A recovering methamphetamine addict, he is charged for the second time with dealing the drug in the seaside town where he grew up.

Mr. Ruffo, 48, admits he once sold meth in partnership with a violent Latino street gang, the Norteños. His story illuminates meth’s destructive march through Santa Cruz in recent years, reaching into a surfing community associated more with vitality and communion with the natural world than with drugs.

“In the back of my head, I was, like, I’m too deep in this game,” Mr. Ruffo said in an interview at a Santa Cruz house where he regularly used drugs in the past and now helps other recovering addicts. “It’s hard to pull out once you get there.”

The Santa Catalina Island Company hosted the Catalina Stand Up Paddle (SUP) Festival this past weekend, marking the final stop of the developing SUP tour. The three-day long event featured two days of races at the Descanso Beach Club, SUP demos, and the screening of the first ever SUP film.

The festival—deemed the largest event in the short history of the sport— brought world-class paddlers from as far as New Zealand and Hawaii to compete for a chance at $15,000. Recognizing the rapid growth of the SUP industry, sponsor REVO Sunglasses—a Luxottica-owned eyewear company under the Oakley umbrella, along with Tahoe SUP,  jumped at the opportunity to host the final event Saturday, October 1, contribute to the hefty prize purse, and donate new shades for the winners circle.