Who we are
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is a not-for profit environmental organisation focused on the protection of the UK’s oceans, waves and beaches for all to access, use and enjoy safely and sustainably, via campaigning, volunteering, conservation, education and scientific research.
We were founded in 1990 by a group of surfers, who were literally ‘sick of getting sick’ through repeated ear, nose, throat and gastric infections after going in the sea. Forming a local group they set about taking grassroots action to stop the sewage pollution at their local surf breaks in Cornwall.
They were swiftly joined by like-minded water-users from around the UK and created what has now become a highly successful national campaign that gives recreational water users a voice on building a clean and safe water environment.
SAS has been a major catalyst in the virtual elimination of continuous sewage discharges that were so prevalent when we started back in 1990. This has seen water quality improve greatly in many areas, and helped us all have a cleaner, safer experience in the sea all around the UK.
BUT, we must frame this success with the dramatic amount that still needs to be done on all the environmental issues we work on, including sewage. In many cases, such as marine litter, climate change, offshore development, toxic chemicals and shipping there is even more to be done than back 1990. And the recent worrying developments highlighting UK water companies abuse of combined sewer overflows as a means to regularly discharge raw sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches means that the sewage issues still exists, albeit in a slightly different guise.
SAS projects today cover six main areas: sewage, marine litter, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping and protecting the recreational wave resource. The recently launched Protect Our Waves initiative aims to help protect surf spots from environmental damage, negative impacts on wave quality and to safeguard water users right of access to ensure sports such as windsurfing, surfing, kayaking and others can benefit from the very best sporting wave resources the UK offers.
SAS represents all recreational water users in the UK, from surfers and sailors, through to bodyboarders and windsurfers. The campaigns protect the coastal environment for all to enjoy, and promote a clean and safe water environment for people to enjoy and practice a wide variety of sports that rely on these marine resources.