About our Conference Director

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Ernesto "Ernie" Alvarez (born Aug 19, 1962) is a well-known environmental activist waterman, surfer, Paddle boarder, Lifeguard, a multiple-time winner of SUP Racing & Surfing competitions, high performance coach and a pioneer in the sport of Stand-up Paddle boarding in Puerto Rico and internationally.

Alvarez was Puerto Rico's first SUP Surfing Champion in 2008 (PRSF), winner of the first Rincon Beach Boy Race at Rincon, he is a surfing coach and the founder of the NSSA Puerto Rico Conference on July 18, 2018. Ernie resides in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Alvarez was the President & Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Surfing Federation from January 2012 thru October 2015; Executive Director & Educational Director from 2015 thru 2018 and the first Olympic National Coach in charge of organizing, planning, educate and help train the first Puerto Rico Surfing Team until December 2018 after a very successful Pan-American Games Qualifiers Games against the top Pan-American nations with a silver medal in SUP Race and qualification slots for 7 athletes out of 14 into the Pan-American Games 2019 held at Lima Peru. As Contest Director has hosted more than 150+ Surfing Competitive events Including the World Surfing League and several International & Local events and more than 75 Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) racing events. Among his numerous achievements as sports leader, he re-organized the PRSF as a exempted sports development & educational organization, started the first professional development programs on the island developing the Judging & Event Management, the Coaching & Instructing Program and the Ocean Rescue Programs with the ISA, successfully creates historic agreements between government agencies to help develop the aquatic sports on the island, develop the Fundación Superheroes to help kids with special needs enjoy the great benefits of the ocean for their well-being, revolutionize the way surfing contest run using the best technology in the planet to develop better competitors and put the sport of surfing in the island into the 21st century, negotiates the historic introduction of the PRSF into the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee (COPUR) and manage Puerto Rico's first Olympic Surfing & SUP Team until 2018.

After many years in the business world, Alvarez decide it was time to go back to his roots: the northwest shores of Aguadilla and his love of the ocean. During 2009 thru 2010's, Alvarez competed in some of the first big international events in Stand-up Paddleboard Surfing & Racing, having the honor of been invited into the Internationally renowned events like the 2nd Battle of the Paddle Race competitions in Orange County, California and the legendary International 1rst SUP Surfing Contest 2009 at BIG Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico.

In 2009, Alvarez was an early participant in the Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) movement internationally and was Jimmy Lewis first SUP Hellman testing the SUP surfing stock boards into some of the biggest wave ever been ridden on a SUP like the ones he rode at the epic March 2018 40'+ XXL Swell at Tres Palmas, Rincon on a "production" 10' JL SUP Surfboard and as a test pilot for the Jimmy Lewis Slice model race board, which was tested at the Battle of Paddle Race in 2010 before an unfortunate serious injury at the race. Right after Ark Paddleboards first founded, Alvarez was invited by his very good friend and SUP first World Surfing Champion Ekolu Kalama to join him as a team rider and was involved in board designing and development; as a result, Ark Paddleboards released the Ernie Alvarez PRO Model.

In 2010 Alvarez join forces with Legendary Hellman and 6 times World Muay Thai Champion Tom Jones in his quest for a Plastic Free Ocean. Tom will be paddling the whole East Coast of the United States ending his journey at New York's Battery Park USA.

Alvarez completed circumnavigation of the more than 800 hundred miles around the Puerto Rico Island Chain departing from Villa Cofresí, Rincon on May 16 and returning June 21, 2010. With the success of these historic feats, Alvarez visit and educate the communities and counties officials around the Puerto Rico's coastline educating about the dramatic danger the unscrupulous handling of plastic waste that ends into the oceans killing life and disruption the marine environment jeopardizing the future of the planet. After the event Alvarez campaign to ban the plastic bags in the Rincon County's markets with a unanimous vote in favor from the Municipality Assembly. After a year since Rincon banned the bags, Puerto Rico adopt the measure banning the bags nationwide. Alvarez was the first International Surfing Association (ISA) Level 2 Coach and Official Course Presenter from Puerto Rico and one of the few around he world that teaches and train in all ISA Educational and Ocean Rescue courses. Alvarez Also holds ISA International Level 3 Judge credentials and certification as Instructor from the National Surf School & Instructors Association (NSSIA).
Alvarez have train coaches and instructors in Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, and Cuba helping them develop into professionals in the science of coaching sports and in Ocean Rescue and water safety.

He is accredited as a Coach by the Sports & Recreation Department (DRD) in Puerto Rico where he continues his education in all aspect of high-performance coaching in the IPPDER.

In 2015 introduce the sport of Stand-Up Paddleboard into the Annual Juegos de Puerto Rico; national games for the Island youth. The event was a huge success with over 100+ participants; on 2019 Alvarez introduce the sport of surfing into the Juegos de Puerto Rico.

Alvarez has worked on important bills of Law in Puerto Rico's Senate for the benefit of the sport and to save lives with lifeguarding programs. Some of these projects are a proposal for a law to protect “Surfing Olympic Courts”, P.del S. 1463 Paddle board Safety Bill of Law and creating a National Aquatic Safety Program for beaches at Puerto Rico.

Alvarez is the recipient of multiple awards thru his sport’s philanthropic activism like "Esta es mi Tierra" Award for services to the children with special needs community, being inducted into the "International Surfing Walk of Fame" in Rincon for his great achievements and contributions in the sport of surfing in the Caribbean and several Proclamations from several counties around Puerto Ric