It could be said that the waves were perfect on a recent morning at a remote location in Java, in southern Indonesia.
Perfect, except for the appalling amount of trash and other debris, which transformed the typically amazing experience of getting barreled into one that left both surfer and photographer feeling nauseated.
"It was crazy. I kept seeing noodle packets floating next to me," said Zak Noyle, the photographer. "It was very disgusting to be in there; I kept thinking I would see a dead body of some sort for sure."
As unpleasant as the experience was, however, Noyle's remarkable photos showing local surfer Dede Suriyana inside a garbage-strewn wave beautifully illustrate the sometimes overwhelming pollution problem in Indonesia.
"The trash had never been seen like this before in Indonesia; all of us were baffled," said Noyle, a staff photographer for Surfer magazine. "The trash in Dede's photo was the worst. No others came close to that type of disaster."
The republic of Indonesia is a mecca for surfers who stay on its many islands and travel via boat to remote spots that they often enjoy by themselves.
The atmosphere is idyllic and some spots remain pristine but, depending on currents, some end up strewn with garbage and debris.
"The populated areas just dump their trash in the rivers or straight onto the sand to be washed away," explained Jeff Hall, Noyle's agent. "Unfortunately the tides and currents do a great job of carrying it away and depositing it on some of the most isolated (previously pristine) beaches in the world."
The location of Noyle's photo shoot with Suriyana was a small bay far from civilization, with no buildings in view. Just a beach lined with trees.
The trash was delivered by the current, and by a large swell that pushed more debris into the bay. It was a dangerous shoot because there were large objects in the water, including tree trunks.
But it was worthwhile, Noyle said, because of the response generated by the images. "The vibe was all the same.
The reactions of all the surfers were of shock and disgust at what humans could do to the beautiful ocean," Noyle explained. "No one person or country is to blame—it's all of us."
Interestingly, Hall said the Indonesian government recently conducted a study and tied some of the most visible floating debris to corporations.
These companies were asked to help fund a local ocean-awareness campaign and help sponsor local surfers. Coca-Cola was one of the companies, and it sponsored Suriyana, in return for having the company logo featured on the deck of his surfboard (it's visible in the photos, beneath the Quiksilver logo).
Said Hall: "This was one of Dede's first trips with an American photographer after affixing the Coca-Cola logo to his board, but I don't think this was exactly the image Coca-Cola was hoping for."
--All photos are courtesy of ©Zak Noyle/A-Frame
--For inquiries, visit A-Frame Photo
--Find Zak Noyle on Instagram
--Note: See this post and others from Pete Thomas and his colleagues at GrindTv.com
Hmm.
Perhaps this image should be juxtaposed against the commonly dispensed fiction that the People of the United States should have more concern over the (enter JAWS music) "Nanny State boogeyman" than the foreseeable reality of living in a world where private entities, multinational Corporations and selfish and/or simply impoverished citizens dump trash- including toxic chemicals and hazardous waste- with no repercussions into our shared oceans. Not coincidentally, Killer Whales are the most toxic animals on Earth. Don't believe me? Look it up.
Without the State partially or totally subsidizing and regulating waste disposal...our oceans are doomed. This image is just the harbinger of things to come.
Enough of this shopworn propaganda that we "don't really want" our government to tell the private entities, multinational Corporations and selfish and/or simply impoverished citizens poisoning our shared planet "what they can and cannot do" on account of some alleged Libertarian playbook pronounced by most no better than a code for thieves.
Can we say less of our dwindling oceanic fish stocks? Without federal regulation- indeed, the entire World Community acting together in good faith to regulate future harvests- coupled with inaction over climate change- the oceans are going to change as rapidly as our melting ice caps.
What good then will the extra thousands of dollars be that you netted via a "no new taxes" regime? About as worthless las the and is rendered uninhabitable after the pipes rupture in and around "fracking" (see, e.g., documentary 'Gasland' to hold the "free market" face to face).
Enough about saving the sharks and whales. Let's start with regulating our own activities, shall we? That is the first step towards the other.
"After the event, even the fool is wise." - Viscount Symonds
Posted by: drudown | Aug 02, 2013 at 02:41 AM