Geoff Elliot, The Australian's Washington correspondent, describes the impact of surfing on Puerto Rico.

"As it happens, I've returned to Puerto Rico this month...I'm drawn to the place. And, sure, it may have changed, but the influx of tourist dollars hasn't been an entirely bad thing.

Surf tourism - along with the rise of the eco-tourism associated with the magnificent sea turtles, migrating humpbacks and shipwrecks in the area - is a testament to the area's beauty and power.

It has helped put Tres Palmas on the conservation list, making it Puerto Rico's first marine park, in an effort championed by the Surfrider Foundation.

Who would have thought surfers would unite to protect this treasure from any would-be pirates of the Caribbean?"

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Tres Palmas, Rincón, Puerto Rico
Photo: Steve Fitzpatrick