Every time I get in the ocean I get this magical feeling. It is what keeps me wanting to come back over and over again. No matter the swell conditions, perfect or poor, the ocean makes you forget about any problem you might have.
However, this paddle out, on July 9th 2017 was particularly special. This was definitely the most emotional paddle out of my life. Surfers, and ocean lovers in general were gathered in Pleasure Point, California to celebrate the live of Jack O'Neill.
Jack passed away in June 2017, at age 94. He was the founder of O'Neill, and the inventor of the wetsuit. His invention allowed surfers to catch waves everywhere around the globe, even in places where it was impossible due to the freezing waters. He was an extrenely humble human being too, every time he was asked about the westuit, he would say "I was just a surfer who wanted to surf longer".
I still remember the first time I went to Santa Cruz and saw him taking a nap at his house at 38th Ave. He was such an legend in the surfing community, and an icon for the town of Santa Cruz. It was clear that the paddle out to honor him was going to be huge. Some people say that the World Record of the biggest paddle out was broken that day. I don't know the exact numbers, but there were at least a couple thousands of surfers that day, forming a huge circle around his catamaran, which is used as a classroom to teach kids ocean science.
Plenty of pro surfers attended this event, including Mavericks legends like Darryl "Flea" Virostko and world surfer Shaun Tomson. Many others joined in the different paddle outs organized around the world.
I will never forget the energy we felt after this event, in front of Jack's house with the whole community of Santa Cruz. It felt truly special.
I hope you enjoy the video I put together, and perhaps it transmits you a little bit of how the whole ceremony felt.
RIP Jack, without you we wouldn't be able to surf today.
NOTE: If the video does not load properly, you can check the YouTube alternative here
