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Surf’s up at the Gold Coast Library

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Published
16 January 2020
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The Ocean Surf Photo Exhibition launch at Southern Cross Gold Coast Library

An extraordinary exhibition featuring Australia’s top surf photographers opened at the Southern Cross Gold Coast Library yesterday. The Ocean Surf Photo Exhibition – showcasing the power and serenity of waves on our local beaches – is a precursor to the Global Wave Conference, a three-day international event beginning on 10 February that will be hosted by the University at the Gold Coast campus.

Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve Inc. successfully won the rights to host the Conference on our shores for the first time. Previously, the event has been held in France, Portugal, Mexico, United Kingdom and, most recently, the USA, making the sixth biennial Global Wave Conference the hottest ticket in town.

The southern Gold Coast was declared the eighth world surfing reserve in 2016. It's proof our coast is an ideal location to bring together environmental and social scientists, world surfing legends, conservationists, surfing industry and the sustainability and eco-surfing conscientious to investigate ways of making our oceans safer, healthier and cleaner for future generations.

Former World Longboard Champion surfer and Conference chairman Andrew McKinnon expressed his gratitude for the ocean. 

“The ocean is everything to me. As a surfer I’ve grown up on the beachfront. Surfing is such a healthy sport and we want to have a healthy ocean to surf in,” says Andrew.

“We’ve got to deal with all the issues and concerns – climate change, ocean pollution, overcrowding, there is a range of issues and that’s why we’re here for the Global Wave Conference.”

If you are a surfer or an ocean lover drop in to our Gold Coast Library before Thursday 13 February to check out the exhibition.

The framed images will be auctioned at the conference finale party with proceeds donated to conference international partners Save the Waves and Surfrider International.