Patagonia is making a donation of $150,000 to Punta de Lobos Por Siempre for an environmental project in Chile following the sale of the patented technology of the PSI (Personal Surf Inflation) vest. Punta de Lobos Por Siempre is an initiative led by Save the Waves and Ramón Navarro, a Chilean surfer, for the protection of Punta de Lobos, an iconic surfing area in Chile. The innovations included in Patagonia's PSI, a vest for big wave surfing, were awarded a patent from the U.S. Patent Office in 2014. Patagonia brought its patented PSI vest to market this spring, making it available for purchase, and announcing that it would share the technology of the vest with other industry members in exchange for the licensing fees, which it would donate to help save Punta de Lobos. The environment and wildlife around Punta de Lobos is being increasingly threatened by tourist activity and real estate projects along the coastline, and the donation is meant to show Patagonia's tangible commitment to surfing big waves. The development of the PSI vest required five years of research and testing, with collaboration from many big wave surfers. The vest, which is to help increase safety in heavy surf, supports multiple rapid inflations and features a dump valve for quick deflation in the water.

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