Surfrider San Diego's 1st Annual Beach Cleanup & National Coming Out Day Celebration
To Protect
Surfrider San Diego’s Beach Cleanup Program is dedicated to preserving our region's beautiful coastlines and waterways through community-driven events. Aiming to reduce pollution and raise awareness, the program hosts approximately 10,000 San Diegans and visitors annually, inviting volunteers from all walks of life to join cleanups across the county. For many participants, a beach cleanup is their first introduction to Surfrider’s work and a meaningful step toward ocean conservation, sparking a journey of ocean advocacy and stewardship.
Photo: OB Beach Cleanup Site Captains Maricruz Carrillo [center-right] and Charles Biset [center-left] sorting trash gathered by volunteers during the October 5th cleanup.
But Surfrider’s cleanups offer more than just a way to protect our beaches—they create a welcoming space for all people to enjoy and celebrate our natural surroundings together. These gatherings are about building a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging, including honoring diversity in our coastal community.
To Enjoy
This inaugural cleanup welcomed over 200 volunteers who came together not only to protect our county’s shores but to celebrate empowerment, visibility, and a sense of belonging for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Volunteers started the morning with coffee donated by
Bird Rock Coffee and an assortment of pastries, followed by a fun round of social bingo. The game encouraged participants to connect and learn about one another while potentially winning some waste-free prizes.
Photo: Participants sign in at the Volunteer with Cheli station to grab social bingo cards
After celebrating and making new friends, the group got to work removing trash from the sand, parks, and neighborhood. The monthly public beach cleanups in OB are one of the longest-standing and most popular for the Chapter. With over 2,200 volunteers and 4,770 pounds of trash collected across 24 cleanups in 2023, OB accounted for over 20% of all volunteer engagement and 37% of total trash removed countywide. The cleanup on October 5th was no different in this sense; with 235 pounds of trash removed by 206 volunteers.
The event highlighted the power of community in both protecting our coastal environment and fostering inclusivity. By bringing people together to celebrate National Coming Out Day, Surfrider San Diego and its partners showed that protecting our natural spaces goes hand-in-hand with creating safe, welcoming environments for all.
Thank You Volunteer with Cheli
Surfrider San Diego would like to thank Volunteer with Cheli for co-leading this event with the Chapter and for bringing together many of the organizations serving and empowering the LGBTQIA+ community in our County for the first of many of these collaborations. The Chapter is honored and thankful to be a part of this effort and looks forward to this ongoing partnership.
Photo: Cheli Mohamed [center], Founder & CEO of Volunteer with Cheli, addressing volunteers during the October 5th cleanup.
About the Beach Cleanup Program
Each cleanup helps remove litter and provides critical data for Surfrider’s policy work on plastic reduction, and educates volunteers on the impact of marine debris on ocean health and local ecosystems. Through hands-on involvement, the program plays a vital role in protecting San Diego's coastlines and inspiring long-term environmental action, fostering a community of ocean-friendly advocates.