Hi, I’m Marilu. Community organizer at the Abaco Surf Collective.

For years, the ocean has been both my calling and my classroom. My journey started in Southern California as a volunteer with the Surfrider Foundation, leading beach cleanups and testing beach water quality to make sure the beaches were safe for folks to surf and swim in.  

What started as weekend cleanups and grassroots campaigns grew into my lifelong mission to defend the places that shape who we are.

As a marine biologist, I have spent my career studying and safeguarding the natural systems that make our coasts thrive. With Surfrider, I went on to serve as the Regional Manager for Florida and Puerto Rico, leading over seventy campaigns to protect our ocean, beaches, and waves. Fifty-five of those efforts resulted in legislative victories that strengthened environmental protections and gave our communities a voice in coastal stewardship. Along the way, I worked with over 100 passionate volunteers across thirteen chapters, each one proving that change happens when people come together to protect what they love.

In 2023, I moved to Abaco full-time, drawn by its raw beauty, fun waves, and the resilience of its people. Here, I’ve found a place that feels both familiar and new, a community connected by the sea and shaped by its tides. 

Through the Abaco Surf Collective, I’m bringing together my love for surf films, ocean culture, and community action to celebrate and protect what makes Abaco so extraordinary. Bridging my connections in the surf industry to create unique and memorable events for Abaco’s surf community, just like I did in Florida. 

This is where my journey continues, on these shores, with this community, and with every wave that connects us.

Looking forward to meeting you in our community!