Considering what they’ve gone through the past few years — everything from financial crisis and runaway overdevelopment to hurricane devastation — we can all agree that Puerto Rico was due for a win. And less than a week into the new year, they got a doozy.

This spring, the eight kilometers of Aguadilla coastline between Crash Boat and Surfer’s Beach, known collectively as Punta Borinquen, will become the Save The Waves Coalition’s 11th World Surfing Reserve (WSR). This is a first not only for the island of Puerto Rico, but for the Caribbean region as a whole, as Punta Borinquen joins only Malibu, Santa Cruz, Todos Santos, Guarda Do Embaú, Punta de Lobos, Huanchaco, Ericeira, Manly, the Gold Coast and Noosa as an official WSR.

Founded in 2003, the prime directive of the California-based nonprofit is to proactively identify, designate and preserve Earth’s most coveted surfbreaks and their surrounding areas, taking into account all the key environmental, cultural, economic and community attributes of each zone. After receiving overwhelming endorsements and support — from Para La Naturaleza, Surfrider Foundation, Rincón Chapter Sierra Club Puerto Rico, Oficina Programa de Manejo de la Zona Costanera, Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Planificación, the Marine Sciences Student Association and the Center for Applied Science and Ocean Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Puerto Rico Sea Grant College Program, and Surf and Nature Alliance — the Puerto Rican nonprofit, Olita, helmed the mission of fulfilling the selection criterion, recruiting an interdisciplinary team of experts to form the Local Stewardship Council (LSC), which consisted of professors, students, NGO’s and various local stewards who worked together to create a rather unarguable application for the WSR.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: North Puerto Rico Regional Surf Forecast

“Every year we receive outstanding proposals that make our decision very hard,” said Save The Waves Executive Director, Nik Strong-Cvetich. “Given the high capacity, expertise, and commitment that the Local Stewardship Council of Punta Borinquen presented in their application, and given their incredible support in spite of Hurricane Maria, they still managed to unite. This year’s decision in favor of Punta Borinquen was almost unanimous.”

The Puerto Rican House of Representatives swiftly recognized and endorsed the project, and in the Spring of 2019 Save The Waves will start working with the LSC on long-term conservation efforts. In the meantime, Surfline rang up the Punta Borinquen WSR ambassador, longtime Puerto Rican pro surfer and local environmental activist Otto Flores, to learn more.

Surfline: So to be clear, every wave in that eight-kilometer span — Gas Chambers, Wilderness, etc. — will be forever protected?

Otto Flores: Yes, every single one of them. It’s a pretty good accomplishment for us, a good first step that definitely helped the cause. The Local Stewardship Counsel put all the wheels in motion and now it’s just a matter of maintenance, executing the management part of the equation, and obviously working with Save The Waves and all the entities that have designated this for us.

See: Gas Chambers Surf Report

Did Hurricane Maria’s devastation influence this decision in any way?

No, no. We were actually supposed to submit by late September of 2017, but because of Hurricane Maria all those plans got stuck and we got a little grace period. We were in contention with Noosa, and instead of getting denied we got a little extension because of what happened with the storm. That gave us an opportunity to get all those endorsements in place with the House of Representatives, Natural Resources, the Conservation Trust and Escuela Graduada de Planificacion UPR-RP. Jose Perez Cordero is the author of the legal resolution, and he was the one who endorsed the designation.

Surfline: Apparently, this decision was a no-brainer for Save The Waves. What makes the Punta Borinquen area so special?

The one thing that’s really crucial about the area is the diversity of recreation that happens there. Obviously, surfing accounts for a huge part of that, but [this WSR] is also to promote green spaces and get the message out that they’re already functioning without having to do major developments: resorts, casinos and so forth. I think what happened in Playuela was the catalyst to actually go forward with this proposal. It gave us a strategy to start chipping away. Then, the hurricane did open up some time bureaucratically, and initiate a new conversation about how we can promote outdoor recreation in Puerto Rico, and the value of that area especially. Talking with Nik, it was probably the most concise and proper proposal that’s ever been given to them, so we’re pretty proud of that. Our team at the LSC is full of experts, and every single person in that counsel is essential to what’s happening.

Anything else you’d like to add?

More than anything, I’m stoked that we were able to accomplish this as a team and protect these places that have been enjoyed for years by locals and tourists alike — not just for the surfers and hikers and people who walk through the territory, but also the fishermen that are a part of this community. We want to empower all these entities that are fighting for the same cause and work together in unison, instead of working separately for separate causes, and entice economic growth that way. In a nutshell, I just want my kids to enjoy what I enjoyed when I was young. I want my kids and my friends’ kids and everybody else who comes and visits this beautiful place to see the same things we saw growing up.

For more on the Save The Waves Coalition and the World Surfing Reserves, click here.