Surfer Scientists join LandSeaLot partners at the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025
How are surfers growing our shared knowledge of the ocean? At the United Nations Ocean Conference, which took place in Nice in June 2025, representatives from LandSeaLot helped demonstrate the scientific power of the surfing community.
UNOC marked a key moment for advancing global cooperation in ocean science and observation to better inform future ocean policy. Highlighting the important role of citizen science and cost-effective technology in transforming ocean monitoring, the side event ‘Data in Motion, Communities in Control, Oceans with a Future’ brought together surfers, scientists, and community leaders to explore new ways of working together for ocean monitoring.
At the event they explored how surf communities can contribute to ocean observations and policy. Guest speaker Patrick Gorringe (SMHI) represented LandSeaLot, joining environmental economist Dr Ana Manero and environmental economist and surf ecosystem researcher Elizabeth Murray. Murray is the founder of the surf NGO A Liquid Future and creator of Surfer Scientists, an initiative that engages surfing communities across Asia and South America to map and monitor surf breaks using cost-effective sensors and other devices.
Participants at the UNOC event took to the water on paddleboards fitted with GPS-temperature sensors, collecting and streaming ocean data in real time. This was just one event that demonstrated the potential of cost-effective sensors and citizen efforts to advance ocean knowledge. For LandSeaLot, it underscored how collaborations between scientists and coastal communities can strengthen ocean governance from the water up.
Images from Surfer Scientists UNOC 3 side event. Credit: Drone images by Norman Pennchhieti
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