Surfers, celebrities and locals will gather Sunday to protest the liquefied natural gas facility proposed for Malibu’s coast with a paddle-out forming a giant
“no” symbol.
By Ward Lauren / Special to The Malibu Times
An anti-LNG terminal paddle-out hosted by actor Pierce Brosnan and surfer Laird Hamilton, both Malibu residents, is expected to draw as many as 300 Malibu Wave Riders and surfers, as well as beach goers and citizens in general who are against the proposed BHP Billiton liquefied natural gas facility, to the Malibu Pier and Surfrider Beach this Sunday.
The traditional seagoing ceremony will be performed by surfers and kayakers who will paddle out to the ocean in front of the pier and form a gigantic international “no” symbol, a circle with a diagonal slash, to indicate the community’s disapproval of the LNG facility. An 18- by 36-foot sign reading “Dear Governor: Terminate it!” will be floating at the site, said Coastal Advocates volunteer Veronica Brady. Coastal Advocates, or the California Coastal Protection Network, is spearheading the fight against the terminal that would be located off Malibu’s coast.
Brosnan will briefly address the crowd before paddling his kayak out to join the circle. Coastal Advocates Director Susan Jordan and internationally renowned surfer Hamilton will also speak.
“I came away from a couple of informational meetings of the Coastal Advocates wondering what I could do to help,” Brady said of the conception of the paddle-out protest. “I was looking for the right thing to do to express my feelings about environmental issues and thought of the paddle-out, and now it has blossomed into a whole day at the beach! It was a little idea that everybody wanted a part of.
“Of course, a paddle-out is the perfect thing for out here. I don’t surf (I like to paddle) but I love the water and my family surfs. We all live here because of the ocean; it’s one of the most important things in our lives.”
Jolene Dodson, who is coordinating the event with Brady, highlighted the gourmet aspect of the breakfast on the pier, which will feature “organic pancakes, veggie sausage links and granola bars,” she said. “And, after the paddle-out, prizes will be awarded for sand castle and game winners. We will conclude with a raffle for the kayak that Pierce paddled in the circle.
“We’re getting tons of response. All the high school kids are excited; the word of mouth has been incredible. All the surf shops and lots of pro surfers have signed up.”
Renowned surfers who have responded in addition to Hamilton, she said, include Strider Wasilewski, Danny Fuller, Kalani Robb and Pascal Stansfield. Several entertainment personalities have also indicated they will attend, including Michael Bergen, Minnie Driver, Brook Burke, and Ryan Seacrest.
Surfer Wasilewski emphasized that the paddle-out was open to all.
“Just because you don’t surf doesn’t mean you can’t go out in the circle,” he said. “A paddle-out is really beautiful, a way for everybody to get together and unite in the ocean and be a part of it. It’s all paying respect to your environment.”
He agreed to join in the anti-LNG circle “to be a part of a good cause uniting the community, to try to keep our children in a healthy and natural place. I was out surfing the other day and I was looking at these four kids who were sharing the waves out off the point at Little Dume. It was their playground, it was their life. There were the biggest smiles on their faces!
“Every time I see those kids they’re that way because of what they have out here and I want my kids to have that same opportunity.”
The day’s events will start at 9 a.m. with a pancake breakfast on the pier for a donation of $20 per adult, $10 for children. At 10:45 Brosnan will speak, and then he will join the paddle-out, which begins at 11 a.m. A sand castle contest and beach games will be held during the day for youngsters who are not going on the paddle-out.