When we looked to book in a date for our annual North Devon coastal get together, myself and my mates absolutely lucked out this May, where we enjoyed four days of stunning hot weather and faultless sunshine from sunrise to sunset.

As with every trip I go on, I’ll have a quick check on socials, and online to see if there are any interesting or worthwhile events in the area that I can attend, or might lend themselves to an interesting photo session, and sure enough this weekend didn’t disappoint.

On Saturday 17th May, an organised protest in the form of a paddle-out was held by Surfers Against Sewage otherwise know as (SAS) on Croyde beach. This event was one of many being held across UK coastlines to show unity in a common message to address the ever growing issue of sewage pollution in our waters and the devastation it has to marine wildlife and the impact on human health to surfers, swimmers and other water goers.

We were lucky to be staying in a awesome apartment located right on Croyde beach slip way for the weekend, which meant I could see organisers and activists and arriving early on, which gave me plenty of time to get my cameras ready to document the event. The nationwide protest was taking place across 42 different sites around the UK, with thousands of people giving up their time to be part of this huge act of defiance against water companies who have repeatedly acted irresponsibly over recent years by pumping more and more sewage into our waterways.

In North Devon the focus was on South West Water who manage the water supply and treatment throughout the area and are therefore directly responsible for the sewage spills that occur year on year.

On Croyde beach by the Lifeguard Hut, the crowds quickly grew around 10am providing a great show of support, and after safety briefing and speeches highlighting the issues by key environmental advocates who had organised the event, it was time for everyone to hit the water for the organised paddle-out. The timing of the protest was significant in that it coincided with the finalisation of recommendations being made by the Independent Commission who are reviewing the water industry.

It was great to spend time photographing and talking to some of the locals and people who had travelled to get involved on the day. Over 150 Surfers, paddle boarders, swimmers were all present to emphasise how much damage this consistent polluting has on biodiversity, marine life, for the people living in Croyde and the community, but also the many thousands who visit year on year and come to enjoy what they rightly perceive to be... clear blue and healthy unpolluted waters.

All of the photo’s from this event were taken on my Canon R6 and R5 cameras coupled with both the RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens and RF24-105mm f4 IS USM respectively.

It was both interesting and enlightening to document this SAS event, which has educated me further on the current situation and health of UK waters, and it really resonated with me how important these events and the people who get behind them are; to making a difference for all of us to enjoy cleaner and richer waters for years to come and to pass down to future generations.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and if you have enjoyed it feel free to leave a like or comment, which are always much appreciated.

Check out some of the links below to the charities and ocean activists who organised this important event.

Surfers Against Sewage

Earth Action North Devon

#EndSewagePollution