Water - WAVES believes that access to and conservation of water is a necessity for the future of humanity. 1.1 billion people around the world suffer from inadequate access to clean water. Through adventure sports, WAVES' participants develop a special relationship with this resource, one that is easily applied to conservation activities in their daily lives.

Adventure - WAVES believes adventure is more than just an adrenaline rush. By strapping on leashes and surfing, participants build confidence, stay healthy and foster meaningful relationships while enjoying the natural environment. Adventure sports typically have high entry costs. WAVES offers disadvantaged youth access to these sports, making adventure part of their personal and social development.

Voluntourism - Combining travelers' passion for surfing with their desire to serve is possible with WAVES' Adventure Voluntourism Tourism program. Volunteers contribute to community service activities while enjoying the adventure sports they love. In addition, these voluntourists provide surf communities and their youth with a source of intercultural exchange and camaraderie through their involvement in Educational Surf Programs.

Education - WAVES believes that knowledge is empowering. The future success of communities depends on today's youth and the education they access. Nowhere is education more important than in the world's poorest communities. WAVES helps coastal communities use their natural environment to create educational opportunities for youth, encouraging them to become confident, responsible leaders of tomorrow.

Sustainability - WAVES believes sustainability contains 4 aspects: ecological, social, political, and economic. Ecological sustainability is the use of, impacts on, and implications for the natural environment. Social sustainability is the initial community participation of the project, the impact on their culture and their willingness to carry it into the future. The political sustainability explores the politics of the destination and other accountability issues of the project. The economic sustainability explores the impact of the money that exchanges hands.