WAVES for Development

About us

WAVES for Development International is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt public charity in the state of New York. Additionally, WAVES for Development is a formalized not-for-profit association in Peru and Switzerland.
As a public non-profit, WAVES for Development has over 10 years experience in the area of impact surf trips that give back through volunteering.

The idea for WAVES originated on the beaches of northern Peru in late 2004, when a group of educated local and international surfers shared a desire to help local youth with little resources enjoy surfing.
Over the course of the next 3 years, WAVES formed a network of individuals, organizations, and institutions. In 2007, thanks to Global Surf Industries, and signed partnerships with the Peruvian Sports Institute and the Peruvian Surfing Federation, a shipping container of surfboards arrived in Peru. After two-week pilot programs in February and July of 2008, WAVES launched ongoing Impact Surf Travel and Educational Surf Programs in Lobitos, Peru that November. Since transferring management to locals in Northern Peru in 2014, opportunities for expansion have presented themselves to WAVES International through a series of partnerships.

Our Mission
WAVES for Development believes that surf travel should benefit the people and the communities where it happens. We connect the dots between volunteering, traveling to surf, community-based tourism and grassroots initiatives and community members in Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico and Guatemala.
Our mission is to inspire world travel and cultural exchange through surf experiences, while collaboratively building a network of partnerships that connect travelers, community members and grassroots initiatives.

What do we believe in?
• Water: Through adventure & water sports, locals develop a special relationship with the sea applying conservation activities in their daily lives.
• Adventure: Through surfing, locals build confidence, stay healthy and foster meaningful relationships while enjoying the coast.
• Voluntourism: Volunteers contribute to community service activities while enjoying doing what they love: surfing!
• Education: WAVES helps coastal communities create educational opportunities for youth using their natural environment.
• Sustainability: WAVES believes sustainability contains 4 aspects: ecological, social, political, and economic.

Dave Aabo is the Founder and CEO of WAVES International.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.