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But recently, he\u2019s seen some alarming attempts to possibly forever change this beloved place for many surfers around the world. So, he decided to save the waves with a class.<\/p>\n
Starting next summer, USC will offer a new geography course on the science of surfing, including ideal wave characteristics and tourism benefits of surfing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sunshine Coast has been a very influential place for surfing. Currently, surfing culture plays a major role in shaping the region\u2019s environment, economy and day-to-day lifestyle,\u201d said Leon.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, as coastal population grows and climate changes, we are also starting to see threats impacting surfing amenity and culture. There is a big gap in the way we understand this from an academic perspective, so the course provides students with the appropriate tools to try and answer some of these questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Playing the money game on waves<\/b><\/h2>\n
With all popular surf destinations, there is an unfortunate pattern.<\/p>\n
A few surfers discover an amazing surf spot. Famous surfers try it out. The word gets out. Tourists pour in. Local businesses boom. Big businesses step in, building condos and resorts worth millions of dollars. Construction residue buries a reef that creates waves. Wave quality goes down. Tourists flock to different beaches. Businesses close down. Just seagulls left to hover for bread crumbs.<\/p>\n
To break this pattern, environmentalist have long cried out that nature is priceless. However, their argument was too idealistic, unable to persuade even the locals to fight off companies bulldozing in in the name of urban development.<\/p>\n
It was time to break money with money.<\/p>\n
First coined by Neil Lazarow, a senior researcher at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization<\/a> (CSIRO), Australia\u2019s national science agency, \u201csurfonomics\u201d is a field of study that quantifies the monetary value of waves in terms of their value to surfers and businesses to ultimately preserve the waves.<\/p>\n \u201cQuantifying the monetary value of surfing is a challenging but important step, as it provides numbers that can be used to better understand and manage surfing,\u201d said Leon.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, by determining how many dollars surfing brings to a place, a better case for the conservation of surfing waves can be made against other activities such as urban development.\u201d<\/p>\n In the newly launched class, called the Geography of Surfing, students will learn everything about surfonomics, from its very basics to application.<\/p>\n They will be in class, but also, or even more so, out at the beach. It\u2019s literally class at the beach.<\/p>\n Using drones and GPS devices, students will measure waves along the iconic Noosa point breaks that have been recognized as a World Surfing Reserve<\/a>.<\/p>\n They will conduct surveys on where surfers are coming from and how much money they spend locally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are engaging with local community groups to continue collecting data between course offerings, so we can monitor how wave characteristics change and how that relates and impacts surfing amenity and the local surfing culture,\u201d said Leon.<\/p>\n Students will use the collected data to put a price tag on the waves and to help local businesses better understand the economic benefits of surfing to them.<\/p>\nSurfonomics 101<\/b><\/h2>\n
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