The Puerto Escondido lifeguards are in need of help due to all damage cause by the hurricane

Puerto Escondido, commonly referred to as “The Mexico Pipeline“, is an internationally recognized surfing paradise and desperately needs the help of the global surf community.

The town of Puerto Escondido was devastated by Hurricane Carlotta on Friday 15th June, 2012.  Two children died when their house was taken by a mudslide, and one 56-year-old woman passed away when the wind from the category 2 hurricane flipped her car.  The beach side town has been severely damaged and is in need of urgent assistance to rebuild this community that thrives on tourism. (Surfline has a pretty comprehensive gallery and article on the hurricane here.)

The Puerto Escondido lifeguards are in need of help due to all damage cause by the hurricane. They used to have 8 towers along the beach at Playa Zicatela and now there’s not a single one of them. This is just one example of what is required to help rebuild the local community; another is to promote tourism back to the area to stimulate the local economy.

The International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) has launched a global campaign to “Salvemos Puerto” (Save Puerto).

The IBA is looking to raise US$100,000 for the base funding to stage the IBA Zicatella Pro at Puerto Escondido from August 8 – August 18, 2012. The event will be used as a platform to achieve the primary objectives of:

   1. Driving tourism to the town of Puerto Escondido and to promote the area as a safe tourist destination in order to drive the local economy
   2. Raise funds and mobilise resources to rebuild the 8 lifeguard towers at Playa Zicatela.

The core campaign is to sell 5000 “Salvemos Puerto” t shirts @ $30 each to raise the required funding to achieve the above objectives.

The Bodyboard Industry has also donated over $150,000 of merchandise at no cost to help raise the required funds. The following limited merchandise packs will be made available for sale with all funds raised going to the Salvemos Puerto Campaign:

    * $60 pack (x500 units);
    * $80 pack (x250 units); and
    * $100 pack (x500 units)

Turbo Surf Designs, Reeflex Wetsuits, Inverted Bodyboarding and Freedom Fins are donating products for each of the packs so that the retail value of each pack far exceeds the ticket price. As such it is a legitimate offering in its own right.

The campaign is to raise the first $100,000 prior to 8th July via merchandise sales through to the conclusion of the event via a viral campaign to raise awareness and funding globally.

Read the IBA’s article in its entirity on their website here.

Riptide spoke to the IBA after hearing of their new Salvemos Puerto campaign concept.
Riptide: From where and who did the concept of “Salvemos Puerto” originate?
IBA (Gregg Taylor): When we first announced that the Mexico event was cancelled there was a lot of public feedback offering to help. But the IBA didn’t think that was appropriate without a genuine cause, although once news started to flow through about the impact of the hurricane there was a genuine cause. This was seen as a unique opportunity for the bodyboarding community to make a difference.

The IBA’s post mentions that “locals” were chatted to in launching this campaign, after previous events you (the IBA) has obviously developed some close ties with the locals of the area, so who were you chatting too? Lifeguards? Hotel owners? Local business owners? Did you also discuss this concept further with the local government?
The locals we spoke to included the local Surf Association, lifeguards, along with local businesses (surf shops and photographers). They all really felt the event would bring the community together and help boost the (residents) spirits and economy.

What has the riders involvement been with this project? Do they fully support it, both in wanting to help the locals and are keen to hit the water in Mex?
The riders have been great and have been consulted throughout the process. There was full support (from) across the board and they have contributed to the campaign. They have made themselves available for promotions for the campaign and also to help once they arrive (in Mexico). We may even send over some riders early with a tool belt.

Is the plan to have the Zicatela Pro on the same dates as were stated previously?
The original dates for the event were August 1–11, although it has now been pushed back one week to August 8-18th.

The IBA is obviously placing a lot of faith in the bodyboarding community to help make a positive change in this area. Where does that feeling come from, why do you think bodyboarders around the world will want to help?
I have faith that the bodyboarding community can make a difference. It is a real test for the bodyboard community and possibly a defining moment for the sport. We were receiving feedback saying 100s of people wanted to help and they wanted bodyboarding to be taken seriously.  This is a chance for the bodyboarding community to show they can make a difference and are a legitimate market that corporate partners should engage with.

What’s the best thing bodyboarders out there can do to help? How do they purchase the t-shirts and the packs of gear?
The best thing they can do is log onto ibaworldtour.com and buy a shirt or one of the merchandise packs. In addition to that they can promote this campaign to their network of family and friends. The more people who know about the campaign the better the chance it will succeed.

What’s the best outcome that can come from the Salvemos Puerto project?
The IBA event proceeds bringing much needed tourism spending to the town of Puerto Escondido and then the media reach of the IBA promotes the campaign so that money can be raised to help with the rebuilding process. In summary, the bodyboarding community showing they can make a difference.