Surfing Soapbox: Visiting Gulf, one year after spill

It’s kind of scary. Current time now reads 4:51 a.m. and I’ve been up since 4 a.m. to write my column and pack for yet another trip, having returned Tuesday night from my second trip this year to Sayulita, Mexico, and Canada the week before.

It’s been a whirlwind type of year, coming home for a day with just enough time to change gear, have lunch with Dad and say a quick hello to Mom and her bridge friends.

Next stop is Biloxi, Miss., where I’ll be hosting the ECO Rocks Earth Day Concert and Tribute Publication at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The event will be raising money for those who have been so drastically affected by 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I can’t believe it’s already been a year. I’m anxious to see what type of condition the coastline is in one year later.

It shocks me how very little we hear in media about what effects the oil spill has had on the fishing industry there. I’m looking forward to seeing it firsthand and hearing the truth from the local residents that are living through it everyday.

It’s a great honor to be asked to host, and I know the evening will have an emotional charge to it. That region of coastline was just finally beginning to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina struck five years ago.

A lot of the people who live there feel like they never get a fair shake, and, sadly enough, after visiting the area twice during the spill I have to agree with them.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and John Kelly Environmental Award winner. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com.