Photography: ARR
One day, surfer Miguel Blanco had to take a break from his passion after developing an infection caused by dirty water. In the episode “In Between Tides”, of his YouTube series “Impact”, he talks about the hidden reality of ocean waters.
“Portugal’s beautiful coastline faces growing water pollution from sewage, plastics and agriculture”, he explains. This also results in health problems for beachgoers and surfers, as well as a decline in biodiversity.
the first World Surfing Reserve in Europe should be an area carefully maintained in every aspect
The waters are also changing around Ericeira. In collaboration with Surfriders Foundation Europe, Blanco takes a look at the reasons behind it. The Wastewater Treatment Plant (ETAR) is illegally discharging polluted water into rivers and the sea. Pipes are cracked, systems are overflowing and can’t keep up with the expanding village. Moreover, the legendary wave at Ribeira d’Ilhas has shifted because of a sewage pipe. “The first World Surfing Reserve in Europe (…) should be an area carefully maintained in every aspect”, local surfer and coach José Maria Pyrrait marks in the video.
Blanco states, this threatens Ericeira’s whole identity as the ocean and its waves define the town.
