Led by a group of Vancouver Island surfers, The Water's Edge Project is an initiative designed to advocate for cleaner and safer coastal communities at home and abroad. Its first program has been taking place in Barra de la Cruz in Mexico, a small town that was thrust into the surf media spotlight as the host location for the Rip Curl Search contest in 2006. Gillian Montgomery from The Water's Edge recently came back from a trip to Barra, and she sent us some photos and a brief description of the project:

"Christian Moutinho, one of the founders of The Water's Edge Project, has been visiting Barra de la Cruz for many years. It's a unique coastal community because of its beautiful, remote location, the famous surf break and the warmth and friendliness of the local people. But because Barra is such a special place, more and more people are traveling to the area and this is straining the ecosystem and the community at large. Since we visit there and surf there, we realized that we're part of the problem as well. We were approached by the community for help, and we decided it was time to give back. We started The Water's Edge Project not only to give back, but to work with the local people teaching environmental awareness programs, First Aid classes and surfing programs. We hope that by working with the local people they can preserve the beauty and uniqueness of their community."