“A bad day surfing is still better than a good day in the office.”
The toast led by Executive Director Vipe Desai at the Surf Industry Members Association’s recent Waterman’s Ball kicked off the annual award ceremony and fundraiser, where the tight-knit surf industry — rivals in business but friends in and out of the water — came together at The Ranch in Laguna Beach.
The second toast was for the honorees: 1977 world champ Shaun Tomson for the Lifetime Achievement Award, Olympic gold medalist and world champ Caroline Marks as Waterperson of the Year, and San Clemente-based Surfrider Foundation as Environmentalist of the Year.
Aimed at honoring those who have made a lasting impact on both the sport of surfing and ocean conservation, the event started in the late 1990s has raised more than $10 million for ocean-focused nonprofits.
An estimated $150,000 was raised this year.
SIMA President Paul Naude talked about how Tomson’s father, a mentor also from his home country of South Africa, gave him advice in his younger years.
“To go forward, you must give back,” Naude, founder of brand Vissla, recalled the honoree’s father saying long before he became a leader in the surf industry.
“We all need to give back,” Naude told the crowd. “If there’s ever a time the ocean and the environment needs people to come together, to move it forward, now is the time.”
Tomson was introduced by fellow competitor Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, who earned the 1978 world championship, speaking about Tomson’s groundbreaking tube riding.
“He was doing things that nobody was doing before,” said Tomson’s longtime friend, and once rival. “To me, he was surfing with commitment — a calculated, cavalier recklessness.”
Bartholomew used two words to describe Tomson: Integrity and inspiration.
Tomson had already in 2002 earned the SIMA Environmentalist of the Year. He was Surfrider’s first pro surfer spokesperson when the organization formed near Malibu, helping the nonprofit grow in the early years.
In accepting his honor, Tomson spoke not just about his years as a competitive surfer, but also his next chapter as an author and inspirational speaker, a path forged following the tragic death of his son in 2006.
“Since then, I took my life into a different direction,” he said. “I took my life into a path of purpose.”
Surfrider CEO Chad Nelsen also talked about inspiration, urging the crowd to believe that the ocean can be protected.
Over four decades, the nonprofit has advocated for the environment, saved dozens of surf spots, improved beach access and taken issues to the courtroom, with thousands of victories through the years, Nelsen said.
“We’re winning the battles,” he said. “But we are absolutely losing the war.”
Plastic pollution, aging water infrastructure and the wipe out of coral reefs are all issues that need attention, Nelsen said, adding that climate change is fueling fires, sea level rise and global temperature warming.
“We’re not doing enough, collectively, to turn it around,” he said. “The good news is, we have all the solutions to all these problems. We have great scientists, we have the technology — we can solve all these problems… I want you to think about how much you love the ocean, how much it means to you and what we want to see for our kids and next generations.”
Marks was introduced by her younger brother, Zach, who spoke about her competitive nature at a young age.
“Most people know Caroline as a gold medalist and a world champion, but before all that, she was really just the toughest kid in the family” he said, noting she was usually beating her brothers at everything from horseback riding to dirtbiking, and when she started riding waves, surfing.
Marks thanked her family, her siblings for their support and her parents for their sacrifices, her coaches and sponsors who give her an opportunity to turn her passion into a life she loves, she said.
“Surfing has given me everything,” she said, “and I believe we all share a responsibility to protect the ocean that gives us so much.”