An invitation is extended to well-wishers to attend the official launch of “Transparentsea”, an environmental awareness campaign initiated by professional surfer and activist David Rastovich, which begins this Thursday (October 1^st), from 8:30am at Main Beach, Byron Bay.

Twenty-nine year-old Rastovich (Brunswick Heads, AUS) will be accompanied by Californian-based surfer, artist and environmental activist Chris Del Moro (San Diego, USA), world-renowned water photographer Hilton Dawe (Byron Bay, AUS), musician Will Conner (AUS) and the Surfrider Foundation’s General Manager, Kristy Theissling (Coolangatta, AUS) as he begins an epic 700 kilometer ocean paddle to Sydney aimed at drawing attention to the plight of the migrating humpback whales and various coastal pollution issues.

Assisted only by the wind and waves, the team aims to each paddle single-seat Hobie trimaran sea-kayaks the entire distance, with the goal of reaching Sydney 36 days later on November 5^th.

Dozens of supporters have already pledged to join the group on Thursday morning, paddling the first few hundred meters from the sands of Main Beach and out towards The Pass, Wategos and Cape Byron.

Transparentsea Launch Schedule:

Participants read – 8:30am

Farewell ceremony by local Aboriginal Bandjalung tribe – 9:00am

Paddle commences – 9:30am

The weather forecast is excellent, with northerly winds of up to 20 knots predicted during the first 48 hours. Under such conditions, Rastovich says it is possible for the team to at least reach Ballina, or even as far as Evans Head on day one, a distance of some 60 kilometers south.

“Our preparation has been epic. We’ve had the crafts for over a month and literally done half-a-dozen 16-kilometer runs south from Brunswick Heads to the Cape at Byron. We’ve had no real hiccups so far,” explained Rastovich.

“We’ve done some serious gear testing – broken things, snapped things, forgotten things. We’ve uncovered all the weak points on the equipment, which gives us the confidence of knowing where our limits lie. We’ve also experienced heaps of whale encounters, sharks, manta rays, dolphins – there has been plenty of activity out at sea,” said Rastovich.

It is expected that the “Steve Irwin”, the ship captained by Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd, will pass the paddlers in the vicinity of Yamba sometime in the afternoon on Saturday, 3^rd October and a rendezvous at sea has already been arranged.

The Surfrider Foundation Australia and Tangaroa Blue are proud to support and partake in the Transparentsea project.

Each day on arrival at the beaches, the Transparentsea crew and members of the community will partake in beach cleanups. The rubbish collected will be counted and the data added to the National marine debris database.

The National Marine Debris Initiative is a project aimed at empowering local communities and individuals to take ownership of their local beaches by regularly removing the rubbish, in particular plastics that arrive or is dropped or dumped on their shores.

About Transparentsea:

The primary intention of the Transparentsea journey is to draw attention to the plight of the migrating whales that ultimately are destined for the chilly waters of the Southern Ocean and the inevitable visits by Japanese whaling fleets.

In addition, the Transparentsea team will record and highlight other areas of environmental concern including the effects of the commercial fishing industry on marine mammals and fish stocks; run-off issues to do with agricultural, domestic and industrial human activities; the state of rivers and estuaries; and where necessary they will also initiate beach clean-ups.

Dave Rastovich:

Dave Rastovich is a former World Junior surfing champion and world-renowned free-surfer. In 2006 “Rasta” co-founded the “Surfers for Cetaceans” movement. In July this year Rasta was granted one of just 200 invitations to attend former US Vice President Al Gore’s The Climate Project – Asia-Pacific Summit.

Chris Del Moro:

Chris has “an excited butterfly-type feeling” about forthcoming test of endurance and surf trip of a lifetime! The Californian artist and free-surfer is also co-director of the Surfers for Cetaceans organisation and traveled with Rasta to Chile (2008) and Portugal (2009) to attend the IWC (International Whaling Convention).

Will Conner:

Will has just finished his 3rd album “You Make Me Sing” due to release early 2010 featuring guests JJ Grey from MOFRO and G. Love. Having accepting Rasta’s invitation, Will states: “I am offering help in the form of musical entertainment, and I am now the proud owner of a yellow Ukulele and plan on annoying everyone including the whales for 36 days straight!”

Kristy Theissling:

Kristy has traded a promising career as a journalist and role as online editor for Australia’s largest surf-related website, coastalwatch.com to accept a role as General Manager of Surfrider Foundation, Australia. Based in Queensland, Kristy has a history of environmental based campaigning. www.surfrider.org

For further media information, please visit www.transparentseavoyage.com