“Reunion Island was an amazing place to grow up. It is where I caught my first waves and learnt to surf.” Remembers Jeremy Flores. “It’s paradise. But it’s also where I have lost some of my closest friends. When you look at the stats for shark attacks worldwide, what has happened in Reunion Island in the last 5 years is really heavy.”
Heavy is an understatement. Since the creation of a marine reserve in 2007 there have been 20 attacks, four of those fatal. A once vibrant surf scene left in ruins, and the community in mourning for those lost.
These tragedies motivated Jeremy’s family to return to their homeland and embark on a campaign to protect the beaches that have given them so much. By winning a chair in the local council, Jeremy’s father Patrick Flores has been able to initiate a program of shark netting and surveillance that has helped Reunion’s beach lovers get back into the water.
“We just wanted to help the island, we did it for the community. If you look now the beaches are packed, the restaurants are packed and the surf schools are about to reopen. It has affected so much more than the surfers”
On a recent trip home, Jeremy hosted the first surf competition in five years at the newly protected ‘Roche Noire’ beach. The day finished a huge success with generations of Reunion Island locals coming together to celebrate the positive progress, and most importantly, pay tribute to the lives of those lost.
“This event was a big success. The ambiance and vibe was better than I expected. Everyone came together, from the youngest surfers to the oldest generation, all sharing waves. Surfing is so much more than a sport. It’s a way of living, a way of being close to nature and living with a passion. The adrenaline that surfing gives us, there is nothing like it. I don’t know what I would do without surfing. It’s the highest high.”
