As sad as it was to leave the TransparentSea voyage, the Californian coast and the Surfers for Cetaceans family, the jungles of Central America were calling! Before parting ways we took a final opportunity to unite local surfers for whales and dolphins whilst at the Cosmic Creek retro surf comp.
Over 100 pros, fans and families showed a united front for whale and dolphin freedom and solidarity with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) who filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in San Diego charging SeaWorld with violating the 13th Amendment by capturing and enslaving killer whales. The animal rights group bases the complaint against the aquatic theme parks on the fact that the 13th Amendment prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude contains no language indicating that it applies solely to human beings.
Hopefully more and more people are waking up to the fact that dolphins and whales are sentient beings, and should be enjoyed in the wild - not in tanks performing tricks, whether this notion stands up in a court of law - only time will tell.
I reckon the best way to get up close and personal to dolphins is to simply go surfing, as it's clear they love wave riding too! My most amazing encounter with a wild pod happened whilst surfing on my last day in San Diego, it was such a delight as they came right up to me to say hi!
Now Women for Whales are based in Costa Rica so as to be close for the upcoming International Whale Celebration in Panama City, July 2012.
Whilst here, we have been spreading the whale word, and Nori completed the above mural overlooking Playa Carmen beach (Nicoya Penninsular) - big thanks to Jobbies Longboards for the wall!
We also visited the local school - Little people non profit in Mal Pais - to give a talk about the local marine life as Costa Rica is home to over 3O species of cetacean (and for those who don't know; Cetacean refers to whales, dolphins and porpoises!) We had a great time with the kids who got really creative drawing their favourite friends in the ocean and joined our HandSTAND for the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.
Stay tuned for more campaigns and creativity in honour of whale freedom at Women for Whales!
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