The Surfrider Podcast

Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert joins Surfrider CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen to confront the federal government's push to expand offshore oil drilling off California, Florida, and Alaska. As the new five-year offshore leasing plan takes shape, they cut through the "energy emergency" narrative, explain why more domestic drilling won't lower prices at the pump, and trace the real cost of oil spills — from Santa Barbara and Refugio to Huntington Beach and Deepwater Horizon — for the coastal communities and taxpayers left paying for them. Ryan shares how Patagonia evolved from funding grassroots groups to suing a sitting president over Bears Ears National Monument, and why he believes outdoor recreation business leaders can't stay silent. Chad breaks down the Coastal Zone Management Act, the battle with Sable in Santa Barbara, and the recent Endangered Species Act rollback. Plus: why paddle outs and community advocacy still move decision-makers, and how you can get involved and take action with Surfrider.

In 2005, a proposed six-lane toll road threatened to pave through and destroy San Onofre State Beach and its world-famous break, Trestles. This episode reveals how the Save San Onofre Coalition, Surfrider Foundation, and the Acjachemen Nation joined forces to stop it — protecting a coastline shaped by nearly 10,000 years of Indigenous history. Host David Scales talks with Surfrider's Coastal Adaptation Manager Alex Ferron Mignogna, Acjachemen Nation Tribal Chairman Nathan Banda, and longtime California State Parks lifeguard Steve Long about how a grassroots coalition took on a multi-billion-dollar highway project — and won. But saving Trestles from asphalt didn't end the fight. Today, San Onofre faces chronic coastal erosion, a forecast "Super Niño" winter, and the countdown to the 2028 LA Olympics, where Lower Trestles will host the world's best surfers on a global stage. This episode explores Surfrider's nature-based solutions for coastal resilience and what's at stake for public beach access and tribal cultural resources, and how you can help protect Trestles for generations to come.

A "Super El Niño" is building in the Pacific, and forecasters warn the 2026–27 winter could bring some of California's most powerful storms, highest seas, and worst coastal erosion in decades. But the greater long-term threat isn't the waves — it's how we respond to them. Surfrider CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen and Dr. Charles Lester, director of UC Santa Barbara's Ocean and Coastal Policy Center, unpack what makes this El Niño so strong, and what back-to-back storms could mean for a coast where up to 70% of beaches are at risk of disappearing by 2100. This conversation centers on the knee-jerk reaction to armor shorelines with seawalls and revetments — and the "coastal squeeze" that quietly erases the beaches in front of them. Our guests explain why emergency armoring is the wrong answer to a disaster we can see coming, and make the case for pragmatic coastal adaptation. It's a clear-eyed, hopeful look at how Californians can protect their public beaches and coastal access, before the storms hit.

In this episode, join the Surfrider Foundation's Healthy Beaches Program Manager Jenny Harrah and Plastic Pollution Initiative Sr. Manager Miho Ligare as they break down the data behind the organization's 40-year beach cleanup program — including the 2025 Beach Cleanup Report, which tracked the efforts of 34,000 volunteers at over 1,000 cleanups to remove 340,000 pounds of trash from beaches across the U.S.  This conversation explores why plastic pollution accounts for 85% of what's collected, why cigarette butts remain the #1 item found nationwide, and how Surfrider's volunteer-collected data, powered by the Better Beach Alliance, is used to drive meaningful change in environmental policy and legislation. Plus, learn how anyone can host their own beach cleanup, even without a local Surfrider chapter nearby. Visit https://www.surfrider.org/pages/beach... to learn more and get involved now!  

Sun protection is important to protect your health, but depending on what type of sunscreen you use, it could also be harming marine life while also exposing you to chemical sunscreen ingredients. Y   In this episode, we're joined by Katie Day, Surfrider's Senior Manager of Science and Policy, to unpack the concerning science behind the active ingredients in chemical sunscreens that are shown to be toxic to marine ecosystems, and have been proven capable of permeating into the deeper layers of your skin and entering your bloodstream. Our conversation explores why the FDA recommended removing chemical UV filters from its "generally recognized as safe and effective" list back in 2019, and why that final ruling still hasn't been issued. We also get into what "reef safe" actually means, why Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands have banned certain chemical sunscreens, and why protecting coral reefs — which cover just 1% of the ocean but support 25% of all marine life — is more urgent than ever.   The good news: making the switch to a healthier option for you and the ocean is simple. Give this episode a listen to dive deeper, and visit surfrider.org to prepare for summer beach days with Surfrider's Reef-Friendly Sunscreen Guide.