Portuguese Big wave surfer João de Macedo on why we need to protect our oceans

João de Macedo (born June 1, 1977 in New Haven, Connecticut) is one of Portugal’s most recognized big wave surfers and a passionate environmentalist working together with Save the Waves, an NGO that protects coastal ecosystems around the world in partnership with local communities. He recently initiated his own foundation as well: the Hope Zones Foundation, which aims to contribute and accelerate the transformation to legally protect 30% of oceans and lands by 2030 aligned with United Nations agenda.

João´s love for the ocean started as a boy when he visited his grandmother during the summers and he started body boarding at Praia Grande. When he was 7 his family moved back to Portugal and a few years later he started surfing at this same beach, a passion he turned into his career. After graduating in Economics in 2000 he co-founded the Surf Academia in Praia Grande (and later Carcavelos), a surf school where he teaches people to surf based on his “7” coaching method. He was the first Portuguese, and European, professional surfer to qualify for the World Surf League’s (WSL) Big Wave Tour, at which he finished fourth in the 2012/2013 season.

João wanted to do more than just teach others how to surf; he wanted to teach them to respect nature. So he started including respect for our oceans and beaches in his surf classes and in the principles of his local surf school. When he moved to California in 2004 to publish his book on surfing (“How to be a surfer”) he continued his environmental work as a World Surfing Reserves (WSR) Program Manager for Save the Waves. Now João is back in Portugal where he continues to teach surf, be an active environmentalist and support Portuguese big wave surfing and surfers through the Endless Ocean project. 

I wanted to interview João for a while already, but then the Nazaré (big waves) season came and we had to postpone our meeting for a bit. Luckily for me the waves were not that big this past weekend, and he had some time to talk to me. We met at a small bakery in Malveira da Serra, a small village near Lisbon, and talked all things surf and environmental problems.   

AD: Tell me something more about your own history with big wave surfing.

JdM: When I moved to California back in 2004 I moved to San Francisco. There I started surfing Mavericks [Mavericks is a big wave surf break in Northern California] and that really changed my life. I didn’t go to that area just to surf, but it was a challenge and it started to grow on me. The big wave surfing community there is also very special. It was then (2006/2007) that paddling onto big waves started to be considered as equal to getting towed onto a big wave. Just before, towing got a lot of media attention and paddling was seen as a primitive thing to do. That was also when WSL´s Big Wave Tour started.

“Big wave surfing has taught me that if we fear something and we don’t face it, it will come back and grab us in the end”

AD: How did your path to more sustainable living start?

JdM: In Portugal when I started my surf school in 2000 we had a small surf club and we already had some environmental intentions, like beach clean-ups. One of the clean-ups, which was organized together with other organizations, had a scientific purpose behind it. So it was registered where the garbage came from and what kind of garbage was found. Then I learned that most of the single-use plastics come from cities, coastal cities, and that it is important to change the habits of the people living there. To me it is so important that people know that they shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the problem, but that they realize that every bit helps. Even if it is just picking up one piece of trash, everyone can do their part. 

AD: What role do you see for governments in the environmental problems we are facing now?

JdM: Governments have the power to provide the legal framework to steer consumer and company behavior into a certain direction. At this moment, garbage is seen as waste, while many items could be re-used or upcycled and money could be made with garbage. Also, a lot of food is being thrown out, which is in many cases not necessary, and this is a big problem if you think that food needs water to grow, it needs to be shipped, packaged etc. Furthermore, they provide the infrastructure for waste management, like garbage pick-up and recycling. At the same time, though, they should have more resources to be able to execute this efficiently and effectively (which is not the case in many countries).  We should also stop the finger pointing and work together to solve these problems. NGO´s and companies and governments need to join forces in tackling the vast challenges that lie ahead.

AD: With which NGO´s do you currently work?

JdM: I am most connected to Save the Waves but I am in contact with various organizations, like Surfrider and Surfers Against Sewage. It is difficult because the non-profit sector needs a lot of resources, which they don´t always have, to be able to accomplish success. For example, to get a plastic bag ban in the States, a lot of money and hours of work need to be employed because there is so much lobbying involved. Also, it is hard for NGO´s to attract professionals with experience they need because they are more expensive to hire.  

AD: What is in your eyes the biggest environmental problem of this moment?

JdM: Waste management in many places in the world needs to be better to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the oceans and on our beaches. We need more marine protected areas, national parks and world surfing reserves to protect nature and the animals that live there. National parks are a great way to educate people, because they spend time in nature and get connected to it while at the same learning about the importance of a healthy environment.  Education is so important in protecting the environment. Once people, young and old, learn about something, they will care about it more. And the kids now are the leaders of the future so it is critical for success that they get educated on environmental problems and how each and every one of us can contribute to a more sustainable future. 

AD: What is the main lesson that you want to teach your own son?

JdM: The rewards of making an effort. When you make an effort, you will eventually be rewarded, whatever it is that you do. When you get into a habit of doing a certain thing, it won´t feel as such an effort after a while. 

Thank you for taking the time to meet up and sharing your knowledge, João! See you in the waves!

The original interview was first published on this website in January 2020.

If you want to support João in protecting our oceans (I know you do!), check out his amazing foundation: the Hope Zones Foundation.

All photos were taken from https://www.joaodemacedoproject.com/