The World Surfing Conservation Conference, held on the Gold Coast earlier this year, pulled together invited speakers from around the globe, each sharing insights from their own protected breaks. It wasn’t just talk either, some of Peru’s best surfers were flown in to compete at the World Club Championships, before the whole crew hit the road. What followed was the East Coast Activation Tour: a rolling surf mission down Australia’s east coast, chasing waves and pushing a shared message of conservation. Now, that journey has been captured in a short film and will be shown at the Save The Waves Festival in June.
Following the conference on the Gold Coast, a 22-strong international crew, repping everywhere from Peru and Rapa Nui to Spain, Bali and the USA, piled into vans and pointed them south. Boards were stacked, including the ancient Peruvian craft, the Caballito de Totora, as the convoy linked up a string of Australia’s National Surf Reserves from Lennox to Bondi.
Stops along the way blurred into a mix of community welcomes, small swells and long highway hauls. From Angourie to Manly, the message stayed the same: protect what you love. Even when the waves didn’t show, the crew leaned into the experience – soaking up coastline, culture and connection.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a road trip without a few curveballs. There were shark scares in Port Macquarie, a near-disaster on the highway when boards flew loose at speed and a media crew briefly trapped in a Sydney lift.
The final leg landed at Manly, where a full-blown welcome ceremony brought together local officials, international delegates and a crowd of curious beachgoers. Traditional Peruvian dance met Australian surf culture, before Carlos ‘Huevito’ Ucanan Arzola lit up the lineup with a rare demonstration on the Caballito – an ancient design sliding across one of surfing’s most historic beaches.
The tour wrapped in Bondi with a low-key send-off, closing out a week that felt equal parts surf trip and statement. The resulting film will now be shown at the Saves The Waves Film Festival which is set to begin its tour in June.
Applications are currently open for anyone wishing to host their own screening with Save The Waves Film Festival. If successful, you will be given their program of films to screen at your desired location while raising money for Save The Waves Coalition. Click here to apply.
