I’m in Northern Sumatra, at the tail end of their dry season. I am checking out the island’s postcard-perfect surf beaches. So far, they are awesome. The waters are warm and crystal-clear and I am pleased to report that there are plenty of rights and lefts as well as beach and reef breaks to play with.

The planet has its own natural cycle of warming and cooling down, one that takes centuries to occur. But with the increased presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere brought about by human activities, these cycles are now happening within decades. But what is less reported is the often invisible changes happening to the ocean that’s equally important to address.

the Olympic Committee has ruled that the surfing competition was going to be held on the ocean, off the coast of Chiba Island. And so, everyone was relieved. And yet that incident ignited a debate that has been simmering ever since the earliest wave pool technologies were rolled out for the surfing public to try out.