Locals Make Waves At Foundation Fundraiser

from The Beach Times

Tamarindo's chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, the international non-profit organization dedicated to water quality and ocean preservation, say their latest fundraiser was a success, despite receiving flak from a local group of surfers.

Claims alleging the non-profit group is implicitly partisan toward Tamarindo development are wholly unfounded, say representatives from the chapter.

Money taken in by the fundraiser — a night of live music which took place at Tamarindo's Voodoo Lounge, Saturday night — will be used to fund more water quality testing kits and improve Tamarindo's main beach access, says the chapter's co-chair, Brian Bratton, who's lived in Tamarindo for the past three years, and started surfing more than 20 years ago on the east coast of the United States.

About 250 people showed up to Saturday's event, he said, adding entrance cover fees and a percentage of the bar tab helped the benefit bring in about $1800 to $2000.

However, it was the 2000 colones-cover fee (about $4), which upset a group of locals.

“The cover was nothing — it was a couple thousand-colones, but some of us had no money,” said Christian Arce who, with his group of ten or 15 Costa Rican friends, was initially denied entrance into the event.

“One of my friends had absolutely no money,” says Mr Arce. “He reached into his pockets and just took out everything he had to give it to them, and they said ‘No, no, you can't come in.' ”

“I said, ‘No, we're not going to pay. We're locals,” he said, adding he recognized many of the benefit's attendees from surfing alongside them in Tamarindo.

Mr Arce maintains the issue stems greatly from the water, and that the altercation at the benefit just brought to a head the fact many Costa Ricans are often inconvenienced by foreigners while surfing. He said there have been numerous incidents involving this “elite group” of surfers.

The bigger problem, continues Mr Arce, is a glaring conflict of interest within the chapter — it is mainly comprised of developers and real estate agents.

“We lost the Blue Flag — not because of the way Tamarindo is — but because of all the developers, because of everything going on, and nobody caring. But tourists care,” he said. “They don't go to a place with a bad reputation, where the water's polluted.”

According to Mr. Bratton — who owns his own real estate brokerage — the remarks go against the chapter's charter and what they are actively doing. “I don't know how that's possibly a conflict of interest. It is well within my interest and all within my clients' interests that Tamarindo have clean water.”

Yet, an anonymous posting on the chapter's internet blog — part of the Surfrider Foundation's official web site — alleges something similar.

Dated June 26 of this year, the posting reads: “What a joke [Surfrider Costa Rica] is. Run by a bunch of real estate agents…. The Ministry of Health just published the results that the contamination in the Tamarindo Bay is unswimmable. Where is [Surfrider's] results, I spent good money at two fund raisers where the money was supposed to go to testing water quality. Still no results published.”

Mr Bratton said the comments are “grossly unfounded”; and that the chapter, which he co-chairs with Lock Cooper, was in fact one of the first organizations to turn up the heat on the issue of Tamarindo's beach water quality. Mr Bratton asked that the anonymous person attend one of the chapter's monthly meetings and see what's been affected — even within the last few months.

The chapter, he says, is in close contact with the Asociación Pro Mejoras de Playa Tamarindo (Tamarindo Association), and the issue of water quality now has “a nice head of steam and… it's moving forward”.

“We want people to come to the meetings — anyone can come, you don't have to be a member,” though he adds annual membership fees for Costa Ricans are discounted to $10 (about 5000 colones), whereas foreigners pay $20 (about 10,000 colones).

“People need to stop talking and start acting…. Everything we're doing is positive.”

The Tamarindo Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation meets on the last Thursday of every month, at the Surf Club Sports Bar in Playa Langosta.