Breaking Waves: Ocean News

As fish stocks dwindle, surf tourism may offer a lifeline to traditional caballitos de totora fishers, whose vessels are thought to be among the first ever used to ride waves Just before dawn, in a scene that has repeated itself over thousands of years on the north coast of Peru, fishers drag boats made of bound reeds to the water’s edge and, kneeling on them, use paddles shaped from split bamboo to row out into the Pacific Ocean to catch their breakfast. A few hours later, these surfer fishers return with netfuls of their catch, riding waves on the final stretch back to the shore. From the main beach in Huanchaco – a seaside town near the city of Trujillo – the fish are taken to sell at the market or to beachfront restaurants preparing meals for tourists. The four-metre-long reed vessels – known as caballitos de totora in Spanish, or “little reed horses” – are placed upright on their ends by the promenade on El Mogote beach so that the seawater drains away and they are ready to be used the next morning. Continue reading...

Tourism Australia beach ambassador Brad Farmer says the coastline south of Sydney airport ‘ticked pretty much every box’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Sutherland shire’s Bate Bay has been named best Australian beach for 2026. The annual list selects the top 10 beaches across the country, aiming to showcase Australia’s beauty domestically and abroad. Tourism Australia’s beach ambassador, Brad Farmer, who compiled the list, described the coastline south of Sydney’s airport as “Sydney’s longest, least crowded and most beautiful stretch of sand”. Continue reading...

Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destruction For Andrés Sánchez Barea, in Spain, it was the fear that arose when water started to spurt from plug sockets. For Nelson Duarte, in Portugal, it was the helplessness that hit as violent winds smacked down trees and tore tiles from roofs. For Amal Essuide, in Morocco, it was the reality that dawned when a corpse was pulled onboard a boat in the flooded medina. Each moment of horror is a fragment of the destruction wrought by an atmospheric machine-gun that in recent weeks has fired storm after storm at the western Mediterranean. Scientists do not know if climate breakdown helped pull the trigger, but research suggests it loaded the chamber with bigger bullets. Continue reading...

French utility to acquire owner of electricity cables and power lines across London, south-east and east of England A French utility has agreed to buy the owner of the electricity cables and power lines across London, the south-east and the east of England in a deal worth £10.5bn. Paris-headquartered Engie said on Wednesday that it had struck a deal to buy UK Power Networks (UKPN) in a “major milestone” for the company’s ambition to become the “best energy transition utility”. Continue reading...