The world’s surfers paddled out on Sunday to honour an icon who revolutionized their sport.
Jack O’Neill, founder of the international O’Neill brand, died of natural causes on June 2 at the age of 94.
A synchronized, worldwide paddle out was held in O’Neill’s memory on July 9 and included participants from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, France, South Africa, Australia and Japan.
The West Coast gathered at Cox Bay at 10:30 a.m.
“He opened the first surf shop ever and created the wetsuit and we’re here to say, ‘Thanks,’” Jay Rosene of O’Neill Wetsuits told the Westerly News at the event.
“We’ll be paddling out and forming a memorial circle to thank Jack O’Neill and to celebrate his life. We’re going to have a moment of silence out in the ocean and then we’re going to splash water together and do what he would want us to do and that’s: surf, surf, surf.”
Rosene said it was particularly important for Canadians to recognize the vital contribution O’Neill made towards making surfing accessible in colder climates.
“We live in cold water surfing. Without the wetsuit, there would be no surfing. There would be no surf shops. There would be no surf schools. There would be no surf tourism. We’re here to pay tribute to Jack because he created the way we live now,” Rosene said.
“I want to say a special thanks to O’Neill North America for helping out with this big event as well as all the shops that have come together to promote this event and all the surfers that are going to come and pay tribute to the man, the pioneer, Jack O’Neill.”
O’Neill is believed to have invented the wetsuit in 1952 in an effort to enjoy longer surf sessions around the San Francisco Bay.
“Playing around with materials to create a barrier between the body and the ocean, Jack’s first suits were built of unicellular foam material that he bought from a local surplus store,” read a statement released by the O’Neill company in the wake of its founder’s passing.
“The invention was monumental—it made it possible for surfing to be a year-round activity in cold water areas and welcomed a new mass of people who previously didn’t surf. Those first suits led to more surfers, more fans and the eventual acceptance of surfing in popular culture.”
Along with his contribution to surfing, O’Neill also helped advocate for healthy oceans and founded a marine biology school in 1996 dubbed O’Neill Sea Odyssey, where students learn about ocean ecosystems onboard a 20-metre catamaran.
“The family of Jack O’Neill, O’Neill Wetsuits and O’Neill UK would like to extend a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to all who have reached out with thoughts, prayers, sympathy, remembrances, stories and pictures since the passing of legendary waterman Jack O’Neill,” the company’s statement read.