SurfAid’s core mission is to improve the lives of families in remote areas of Indonesia and the Pacific - areas connected to us through surfing. We believe that surfing is more than just a sport - it’s a lifeline for coastal communities around the world. Wanting to give back to the far-away villages near our favorite waves, SurfAid has spent over 20 years improving the health, wellbeing, and resilience of these isolated communities.

Our geographical focus is on the heartlands of surfing where few visitors but surfers go. The places we work are culturally and geographically isolated, where nutrition is generally poor and many people suffer from a high prevalence of treatable and preventable diseases. We give remote surf communities the best chance of getting ahead by working together to design sustainable programs to deliver access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation, and improved nutrition. Today, our work spans across the Mentawai Islands off Indonesia’s West Sumatran coast, Sumba and Rote in eastern Indonesia, distant regions of the Solomon Islands, and beyond. 

At SurfAid, we believe that positive, sustainable and long-lasting change can only be achieved through the active involvement of the locals in the places we work. We believe that working with communities to develop their own solutions is the most effective form of aid – a “hand up, not a hand out” approach. Our approach is community-led, meaning we work hand-in-hand with local leaders and families to implement development programs and solutions that are clear in their goals, effective in their implementation and subject to continuous monitoring and evaluation. 

As we prepare to join Santa Cruz Works' Blue Innovation event, we recognize the connection between ocean health and human wellbeing. The remote communities we serve are deeply affected by the health of the oceans and vice versa.

Santa Cruz Works’ Blue Innovation event brings together diverse voices - from climate tech innovators to environmental activists and international nonprofits like SurfAid - to collaborate on long-term sustainable solutions. The wellbeing of humanity and the environment go hand in hand, and SurfAid is thrilled to join in the conversation on protecting the future of both our oceans and the coastal communities worldwide that depend on them. 

FREE BOOK READING: Luke McLelan will read his book "Amelia Otter's Mischief in the Water" at 1:15pm at our booth.