Ashley Adams has been a friend of mine for over a decade. Sometime ago, she traded in her city life for surf, nature, community and overall quality of life. Recently she has gotten on board with an amazing project, and I want to share it with you. Read it and support it!  

NC: How long have you been living and surfing in beautiful Tofino, BC?

Ashley: After a few years of being a weekend warrior, I made the decision to officially make Tofino my home away from home almost 3 years ago.

NC: What are some of the things that you love most about your coastal life?

Ashley: In several words: the beach; the forrest; sunsets; catching dinner; sunrises; the strong sense of a caring community; knowing most of the people in the line at the grocery store, in your yoga class and in the surf; t-shirt weather in January; daily if not hourly receiving of high fives; the Tofino hat trick (yoga, massage, Tacofino); 130km winds and the power outages that follow; the human to dog ratio; the ability to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world, take a breath and realize  that you’re the only one on the beach, in forrest or in the surf

NC: You have recently got on board with an amazing project. How did you get introduced to the Surf for Life project?

Ashley:  I’d been planning a trip to Central America knowing that I wanted to do some sort of volunteer opportunity while I was there.  I spent time trying to find a project that focused on development and was, of course, close to the beach.  My friend’s over at Leap of Life posted about Surf For Life and as soon as I read their mandate and saw what they were doing, I knew I was totally on board (no pun intended).  I applied on a Friday, was accepted on the Monday and began my fundraising project on the Tuesday.

NC: Tell me about the El Salvador Surf for Life project you will be involved in.

Ashley:  We’ll be heading to El Cuco near an epic break called Las Flores in southern El Salvador to build a bridge.  Well, actually it’s a pedestrian bridge. This particular area is very prone to intense flooding during the hurricane season which can actually isolate the community completely.  Considering that 99% of the population in this area do not have a vehicle, all of a sudden kids can’t get to school and people can’t get to hospitals or grocery stores.  I friend of mine, Reid Jackson, visited El Cuco a few years ago and although he grew up on Vancouver Island and has a pretty thorough understanding of rain, he claims that he’s never seen rain and flooding like he saw in El Cuco.

NC: What inspired you to take on this noble adventure? 

Ashley: I suppose I’ve always felt a pull towards both helping people and Latin America.  I love the freedom of surfing without a wetsuit, challenging myself on unfamiliar breaks, learning about other communities and getting involved in a really organic way.  I think above all, experiences like these teach your a lot about yourself and evoke a deeper sense of appreciation for those around you.

NC: How can people support or DONATE to this cause?

Ashley: I feel that what one lesson I’m learning right now is the power of just spreading the word.  I truly believe that people are good and given the opportunity to get out there and do projects like these, they will.    So, if they’d like, folks can support in a few ways

- Check out my site and donate https://www.surfforlife.org/give/Ashley-Adams/

-If in Tofino (as if you need an excuse to come here), please check out the silent auction at Shelter Restrant Thursday January 24

-Lastly, I think that it’s super important that people just stay stoked, and be grateful for what we have.  And also be reminded that, they too, have the ability to create waves of positive change.  You don’t necessarily need to go to El Salvador to do so but just realize that you do have that ability be it in a very large or small scale and that’s a pretty sweet thing