For more than a decade, professional surfer Jon Rose ventured to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the world in search of the perfect wave. But while these areas created ideal conditions in which to surf, those conditions were less than ideal for the people living there. In many cases, the residents did not even have immediate access to clean, drinkable water.
So when he retired several years ago, it did not take long for him to know what he should do with the next stage of his life: give back to the people in the very places that provided a backdrop for his surfing career.
“I had traveled to a lot of the farthest corners of the world surfing and a lot of times where the best waves are are very underdeveloped places and we end up seeing a lot of severe needs,” Rose said. “Just basic needs that people, I believe, are entitled to. As I was kind of transitioning out of my surf career, looking for the next chapter, I started thinking it’s something I could do for all these places. I’ve seen it with my own eyes so I don’t have to wonder anymore about that there’s needs out there.”
Rose’s father, Jack, had already done some work with RainCatchers, a nonprofit that works to provide clean water to people living in Africa. It was then, Jon Rose said, that something “clicked.”
“I’ll just do what he’s doing in Africa, but I’ll do it in all of the places I’ve already seen,” Jon Rose said he decided, “so it’s really a return more than anything, a return to the places that have given me a lot.”
Early Missions
Rose founded Waves for Water in 2009, and his first mission was to take filters to Bali. However, the night before he was to leave Sumatra for Bali, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck the city of Padang, Indonesia, killing more than 1,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and without clean water. The Bali trip was postponed for a month so that Rose could rush in to Padang and help with the relief efforts.
Several months later, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, and Jon directed his efforts to getting water filters to the areas that needed them. Working with Sean Penn and the United Nations, Waves for Water has provided 11,000 filters to Haiti, bringing clean water to more than 100,000 people as a result.
The earthquake in Haiti was followed by a magnitude-8.8 temblor in Chile that triggered a devastating tsunami along the nation’s coastline. Rose trained professional surfers, including Chilean native Ramon Navarro, to help bring filters to the region. Through a partnership with Save the Waves, more than 1,000 filters were brought to the area.
Subsequent missions have taken Rose and his team members to India, Haiti, Pakistan and Brazil.
The Filters
Waves for Water offers two types of filters: community use and family use. The community use filter uses a membrane with a 0.1-micron pore size, and will provide enough water for 100 people per day. This type of filter flows instantly — a 5-gallon bucket will empty through the membrane filter in about 20 minutes. Community use filters cost $50.
The family use variety, which is a ceramic drip filter, will provide enough clean water for 10 people per day and has a 0.5-micron efficiency. These filters cost $25 apiece. With proper maintenance, the community filter will last as long as five years, and the family use filter can be used for more than one year.
Both filters can be installed within minutes, and the kits include everything except a bucket or similar container to hold the water.
Japan Earthquake, Tsunami
Among Rose’s recent efforts was a disaster-relief trip to Japan after the country was hit by an estimated magnitude-9.0 earthquake and an ensuing tsunami. Rose said he already knew a few people who were on the ground there, and they drove in a van from one neighborhood to the next along the perimeter where the tsunami had stopped. In some instances, it was necessary to hike to reach neighborhoods that no longer had access to clean water.
Rose said it was not uncommon to see residents standing in front of their homes boiling water over a fire. Shelters had been set up for people who had lost their homes, but there was no immediate relief for those who hadn’t. Rose said the group usually attempts to find a community center or some sort of hub such as a hospital, school or church and go through a figurehead people trust, but in this instance the team went directly to the people.
Because Japan is a far more developed nation than many of the places Waves for Water typically assists, Rose said the people were almost more helpless due to the fact that they were not accustomed to having to look for water. He said the reaction of one woman in particular was consistent with that from people throughout the area: “Why me? Why are you here?” Rose said of her response. “Why were we giving her special treatment? She wasn’t mad, she was just so touched.”
Rose said his team was merely looking to help the people in need in the interim, if only for a month or two.
“ ‘You guys have a lot of needs right now, and we can’t help you with all of them, but we can help you with this one,’ ” they would tell the residents. “ ‘At least you don’t have to go look for firewood or boil water. Let this one just ease your mind, and now you can go focus on the other things.’ And it was quite an amazing experience. It was nothing like I’ve ever seen, I can tell you that, as far as devastation.”
‘Guerrilla Humanitarianism’
Rose described Waves for Water’s approach as “guerrilla humanitarianism,” one that is no-nonsense and under the radar. With three full-time employees, the group tries to avoid getting caught up in the bureaucracy that can happen when operating on a larger scale.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re breaking any rules; it just means that we’re approaching it differently,” Rose said. “We’re just like, ‘Look. Here’s the need. Here’s the solution. Get it done. Don’t hurt anybody along the way, but just get it done. I don’t want to have any more meetings.’ And you can do that when you’re talking about this, because it’s so simple. The main thing you have to think of is not to overcomplicate it.”
Rose said Waves for Water has not encountered much resistance from local governments because the group goes to the community before taking it to the political level. By that time the government has no choice but to recognize the need and get on board with it, he said.
Getting Involved
Thanks to a partnership with surf company Hurley International that has continued to develop over the past year, virtually anybody can help further Waves for Water’s mission of getting clean water to every single person who needs it.
The program, Clean Water Couriers, looks to connect people who are planning a trip — whether business or pleasure — with nonprofit organizations and community leaders in specific “hot spot” regions throughout the world.
Hurley Marketing Director Benjamin Edwards said that although the program is not limited to surfers, they are in a great position to be able to participate.
“The whole idea is that surfers, by nature, travel to exotic destinations because that’s usually where the best breaks are,” he said. “The message is, ‘When you go, and you take your surfboard, your wax — all the things that you need — why don’t you just take a water filter with you?’ ”
Edwards said the program has been well received.
“It’s been an amazing ride and we’re excited because it certainly gets people excited about it and changes their lives to a certain degree,” he said. “While it starts with the surf trips, it doesn’t necessarily mean a surfer has to do it. Anywhere you go you can take a water filter with you and help people out.”