Surfers Against Sewage Paddle Out Protest
The Ocean is not a toilet! Surfers Against Sewage National Paddle Out Protest for Clean Water.
Photography: Helen Armstrong
The Guardian - 7 Million Tonnes of Raw Sewage
This past Saturday, we gathered on Portrush Beach to join a national movement that’s close to our salty hearts: the Surfers Against Sewage Paddle-Out Protest for Clean Water.
And we’re not exaggerating when we say: this matters.
Because while we love cold water therapy, we draw the line at it becoming a chemical bubble bath.
Let’s talk about the murky stuff:
💩 Sewage discharges
🌾 Fertiliser run-off
🏗️ Overdevelopment
🌊 Blue Flagging (yep, it’s a thing)
If you swim, surf, paddle, dip, or even just enjoy spending time near the coast, this affects you.
Lough Neagh:
You’ve probably heard about the crisis at Lough Neagh—one of Northern Ireland’s most vital freshwater ecosystems. Once a hub of biodiversity, it’s now choked with blue-green algae, the result of nutrient overload from fertiliser run-off, untreated sewage, poor water management and sand dredging.
And it gathers here because Lough Neagh is the catchment area from our rivers, estuaries, and the sea—creating quite the toxic cocktail.
Meanwhile, on the coast…
In April, a dog died after playing on Ballyholme Beach, where raw sewage had recently been discharged. This isn’t alarmism—it’s red flag waving from the shoreline.
Belfast Live - Dog Death Ballyholme
At the same time, certain beaches are still being awarded Blue Flag status, despite regular pollution issues. The appearance of cleanliness, without the accountability or real safety.
Belfast Live - New Bathing Sites Northern Ireland
And yet, we’re still out there. Still fighting.
Because this is our water. And we won’t let it be trashed.
The Paddle-Out: Portrush Says ENOUGH
On Saturday 17th May 2025, our community joined others across the UK in a collective call-out: clean water now.
Over 50 of us paddled out into the Atlantic at Portrush—boards, bodies, wetsuits and all.
We floated. We shouted. We waved our red flags.
And we did it together.
The protest wasn’t just about anger (though yes, there’s plenty). It was about love.
Love for the places that have healed us.
Love for nature.
Love for the wild, blue spaces that connect us.
What we’re asking for:
Investment in sewage infrastructure (we’ve had enough of “accidental discharges, and would like to know where NI Waters ~£40 million pounds of annually declared profits is going)
- An Independent Environmental Agency (Northern Ireland is the only country in the UK without one!)
- Better agricultural regulation to manage and reduce fertiliser and slurry run-off
- More independent, transparent water quality testing
- Real accountability for water companies and local authorities
- All year round testing for Blue Flag monitoring with more stringent parameters
So, what now?
We keep showing up.
And we keep demanding better.
Because the ocean isn’t a toilet.
Because water is life—and it deserves protecting.
If you care about clean water, we urge you to:
🖋 Sign the Surfers Against Sewage petition on their website
📢 Share your story
💙 Keep turning up—in the sea, on the beach, at the protest
We are many. We are salty. And we’re just getting started!