I floated in the Atlantic last week. Waves lifting me up and letting me down. One morning with the tide out and the sun climbing up over the water, I pedaled a rusty cruiser 3 miles up the beach and back. And then I went surfing.
Even the highest of tides come nowhere near Wisconsin, but I’ve always loved the ocean. I’ve never felt compelled to learn how to surf but for some reason on this trip, it was something I needed to do.
I walked down the beach to my first lesson. The waves rolling in were far from intimidating. “Good beginner waves,” I was later told.
After an introduction and a little instruction we did some on-shore practice, and then I got a little nervous. Popping up into position wasn’t easy in the sand.
My instructor, Hannah, asked about my goal for the session. “Just stand up,” I said. But once we got in the water it was a different story. It felt good paddling out. It was peaceful waiting for my first wave as smaller ones rolled under me.
“OK, paddle,” she said, giving me a push. “Get up!” And to my great surprise I pushed up, got my feet under me and took a short, wobbly ride on that very first wave.
My first wave with no help or direction didn’t go so well. I paddled back out and asked how to know when to pop up. “As soon as you feel the surge,” she said. I rode the last two waves of the session with no help. Paddling, feeling that surge and popping to my feet felt like one action, making a connection with the ocean’s power.
Beyond the literal force of nature that it is, there is equal power in what the ocean provides and supports. The oceans provide 245 billion pounds of food for human consumption annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Approximately 11 billion tons of goods are transported by ship each year, representing 1.5 tons for every person on the planet. By 2019, the total value of the annual world shipping trade reached more than 14 trillion U.S. dollars, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.
And then there’s all that water, without a drop to drink, as the saying goes. But that’s changing.
I read a story on NPR.org recently that discussed the Carlsbad Desalination Plant’s impact on the water needs in San Diego and the broader area.
Roughly 100 million gallons of seawater gets pumped through gravel and sand and treated via reverse osmosis at the plant, yielding about 50 million gallons of potable water daily. The facility now produces about 7%-10% of the region’s water.
One of the people quoted in the story noted that the cost of desalination is high and water rates in the San Diego area have already risen, but it seems odd to me that at a time when people have no issue spending $2 on a 16-ounce bottle of water, we’d be denouncing desalination in the name of low rates. We all need water, whatever the cost.
Given that the Colorado River is in trouble and the Carlsbad plant is one way to help offset that dwindling resource, we should be supporting anything that bolsters our water security.
Here’s hoping the wave of technology and innovation that’s pushing the water industry forward hasn’t crested yet.
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