Salvem o surf

S.O.S. Salvem O Surf actions are guided by well defined principles of Protection and Development of surfing

At the core of S.O.S. there is a team, with diverse capabilities in sports, scientific and business skills, based in the best waves and schools. Namely, S.O.S. is unique and different from other surf/ocean NGO and associations as its technical team is at the forefront of studies in coastal engineering and environment, artificial reef projects, surf-economics, social politics and is, thus, able to solve problems of wave preservation from the onset, directly proposing surfing friendly solutions to local and national government, population and coastal work promoters.

S. O. S. started as a civic and informal surfer movement in 2002–2003 to preserve beaches and waves for surfing from coastal works who ignored surfing. The civic movement was initially coordinated by Pedro Bicudo (PhD, Physicist), Paula Marques Figueiredo (PhD, Geologist) and by Pedro Monteiro (Civil and Coastal Engineer). In 2008/2009 the same team, including also Guilherme Garcia, upgraded S. O. S. to a legal surfer's Association in order to improve the protecting and developing of surfing.

Since 2010 a new board is directing and further upgrading S. O. S.

• Pedro Bicudo is S.O.S.’s President, and coordinates its technical team on Coastal Engineering and Surf Reserves. He holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Instituto Superior Técnico, where he is "Professor Auxiliar Agregado" in the Physics Department. His second field of research is Coastal Science and Engineering, and he coordinated the Study for an artificial reef for surfing at São Pedro do Estoril, the first surf reef project in mainland Europe.[1][2]
• Pedro Monteiro is S.O.S's vice-president, and coordinates the Events and Sporting team of S. O. S. He holds a Civil Engineering degree, with a post-graduate internship in Coastal Engineering at Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, and he is the wave quality expert of the Coastal Engineering team of S. O. S. When graduating, he became a University League Champion, and he excels in tube riding. He is a respected surf school and surf club manager, and surf coach.
• Ana Horta coordinates the Environment Team of S. O. S. the team to upgrade S.O.S. as an Environmental Non Governmental Organisation (ENGO). She holds a PhD in Environment Engineering by the Instituto Superior Técnico. Ana Horta is an expert in Gostatistics, and in Environmental Assessment studies.[3]
• Rita Marteleira is the hands-on of S.O.S. and part of the Environment Team. She is completing her MsC in Environmental Engineering at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
• Manuel Valadas Preto is the responsible for funding and relationship with business in S. O. S. He consults for multinationals and start-ups, and holds an MBA from London Business School.
• Guilherme Garcia is the Public Relations, and also the website caretaker of S. O. S. Besides working as a surfing instructor, Guilherme writes novels and in surf blogs.
• João de Macedo, besides challenging the biggest waves of the planet, is an Economist and World Surfing Reserves Ambassador from the “Save the Waves” in San Francisco that he shares with Sintra as home town. He has a MsC in Sports Management.
• Pedro Adão e Silva holds a PhD in Social and Political Sciences and is a professor of Public Policies. He is a leading public figure, a TV and radio commentator and a columnist in Expresso and in the surf media.
• Ruth Ferrony Grilo is responsible for the image and design of S.O.S. She provides artistic and civic formation for several NGO and the National Parliamento of East-Timor where she resides.

In the 2000 decade, partly boosted by the European Union Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds, the number of coastal engineering works increased dramatically in the Portuguese coast, to develop harbours or to protect the coast. However, in general, the Environmental Impact Accessment of these coastal constructions ignored to study the respective impacts on surfing. S.O.S. started as a civic and informal surfer movement in 2002/2003 to preserve beaches and waves for surfing from these coastal works who ignored surfing. In 2008/2009, S.O.S. turned legal, as a non-profit surfer's Association in order to improve the protecting and developing of surfing. S.O.S. is further being upgraded to an Environmental Non-Governmental Organization, since the surf and beach damaging coastal works continue being constructed. S. O. S. has been organizing campaigns to protect the coast since 2002.

In addition, S.O.S. members have been, or are still, involved in many other threatened waves, with mixed results::

• Rabo de Peixe, Azores: Disappeared
• Kirra, Sines: Disappeared
• Cabedelo, Porto: Disappeared
• São Torpes, Sines: Endangered
• Santa Catarina, Azores: Endangered
• Caxias, Oeiras/Lisboa: Endangered

Portugal loses, on average, one world quality wave per year.

• Official website of S.O.S. Salvem O Surf (Save The Surf)
• Interview to Pedro Pecas (Portuguese)
• Theoretical study for the artificial reef in S.Pedro do Estoril (Portuguese)
• Estudo da Hidrodinâmica em torno do Recife Artificial para a prática do Surf a construir em São Pedro do Estoril, Cascais, Aplicação dos Modelos de Boussinesq: COULWAVE e FUNWAVE (Portuguese)