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# BY TAYLOR V A NARS DALE NEWRELEASES A ‘Jewel’ of a documentary
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/b-y-t-a-y-l-o-r-v-a-n-a-r-s-d-a-l-e-newreleases-a-jewel-of-a-documentary/
- Published: 2007-09-21T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:55:11.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Sports, Santa Monica, #archive-import

In 1994, the small coastal town of Jardim Do Mar on Madiera (Portugal) was host to an unspoiled stretch of shoreline, ideal for surf enthusiasts. Of it, Will Henry, founder of the Save the Waves Coalition, said, “It’s made to be put on postcards … the water’s glassy … and the waves are perfectly set up for riding big surf.”

Then, the unthinkable occurred. In 2002 the Portuguese government, endowed with grant money, improved local roads and to the dismay of big wave surfers, built a sea wall consisting of massive concrete blocks, violating Portuguese environmental law; completely altering the way in which the waves break.

In the past, Jardim Do Mar was a perfectly smooth ride, a true cobblestone point break. “Cobblestone,” for those of you not familiar with surfing vernacular, refers to a type of rock resting on the ocean bottom. Cobblestones are about the size of basketballs, perfectly rounded, extremely smooth, and they remain in place far better than sand, and to a surfer, smooth, stable rocks on the ocean floor equals perfectly shaped, tubular waves. Since the sea wall’s construction the surf’s become a choppy, mishmash of backwash with dangerous cement blocks adorning the shoreline ruining the natural, flawless beauty and limiting the opportunity to surf smaller swells. Oh sure, the ocean is still “surf-able,” but the tubes collapse more frequently and there’s a plethora of turbulence (neither one’s a surfer’s dream).

Director Jacob Holcomb’s “Jewel of the Atlantic” documents the triumphs and losses during the 10-year struggle to preserve this world-class surf spot. Part environmental activist, part educator and part cinematographer, Holcomb seamlessly transports the viewer into the mindset of a surfer, blending great shots of der-ring-do with a compelling narrative, archival footage and a well-directed story.

That Madiera’s plight was the inspiration for the formation of the Save the Waves Coalition is yet one positive outcome but for big wave thrill seekers, the cavalry comes too late. Unfortunately, the efforts of the surfers and the Save the Waves Coalition collapse, much like those perfect tubes when the villagers accuse them of trying to promote their own agenda (note to viewers: today, these same villagers are now remorseful of their actions).

And though Madiera’s surf spot may be lost for a time, “Jewel” is worth viewing because it gives insight into how we can prevent future breaks from entering into development hell. Paul Naude, President of Billabong makes a great point, “As the world gets more crowded, people want to visit places that are unspoiled.” Let’s hope we, future generations and the Save the Waves Coalition will be successful in protecting and preserving these pristine pieces of prime surf real estate before the world’s best surfing spots vanish forever.

The film is available for viewing via DVD included in the September issue of The Surfer’s Path magazine. You don’t have to be a surfer to appreciate the predicament this film covers; and if you’re still not convinced, don’t worry; there are plenty of hot-looking Portuguese surfers to keep you otherwise occupied.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/092107-14_01.jpg)

(Photo: Photo courtesy William Henry)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 21, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/092107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)