Jack O’Neill memorial paddle out draws thousands

Surfers and paddlers from all over the country funneled into Pleasure Point, catching waves in the name of surf legend Jack O’Neil’.

There was a massive turnout for the memorial paddle out on Sunday. Organizers estimate between five to six thousand people showed up for the event and two through three thousand were in the water.

“Pretty incredible, pretty heartwarming and moving,” said Shhar Fitzner from San Francisco.

“You can see how much he really meant to people,” said Nancy Zerner of San Francisco.

In the water they formed a circle, surrounding boats filled with O’Neill’s friends and family.

“Feeling fantastic,” said Pat O’Neill, Jack’s son. ‘It’s just amazing how the whole community showed up and became part of this. Just fantastic we’re really, really happy.”

Cheers, splashing and spoken words were part of the ceremony, celebrating the man who is famous and appreciated for creating the wetsuit, coining the phrase surf shop and founding the O’Neill brand. O’Neill died at the age of 94 of natural causes on June 2nd at his home on Pleasure Point.

“I knew Jack had medical issues but yea I was surprised,” said David Dominguez of Capitola. “I was really surprised and it’s a loss.”

“I’m of the opinion that we should celebrate Jack’s memory and his 94 years of a life well lived,” said ceremony organizer and Attorney for O’Neill.

Those close to him said he was more than just an innovator. He was a humble and mellow spirit, who had a hunger for knowledge.

“He’s really a family man and he’s my best friend,” said Pat O’Neill.

“Every conversation I had with him whether it was about surfing or even designs we were working on over the last few years he wanted to make things better than they were,” said O’Neill Senior Designer John Hunter. “He wanted to dig into different ways to do that.”

He also had a deep appreciation for the ocean. The O’Neill Sea Odyssey boat provides hands on marine education to help protect and preserve the sea.

“The O’Neil Sea Odyssey program has taken 100,000 children out onto the Monterey Bay over the last 20 years,” said Massara.

The ceremony concluded with the dedication of the new O’Neill Park. It’s located between 36th and 38th Avenues.

ORIGINAL STORY: Surfers and paddlers from all over the country funneled into Pleasure Point, catching waves in the name of surf legend Jack O’Neil’.

There was a massive turnout for the memorial paddle out on Sunday. Organizers estimate between five to six thousand people showed up for the event and two through three thousand were in the water.

The event began at 11 a.m. near 36th Avenue and East Cliff Drive. The County of Santa Cruz closed East Cliff Drive to vehicle traffic between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Locals and people from all over the Monterey Bay and the San Francisco area began arriving early in the morning. By 10 a.m., 41st Avenue was jammed with cars and bikes. The sidewalks were filled with people carrying surfboards, babies and even dogs in carts, all headed to the paddle out.

Seth Reder of Live Oak, a business owner, said he came because he has O’Neill wetsuits. “He’s given so much to the sport, so it’s been such a big part of my life I wanted to give the love back that he’s offered me.”

So what was it like out there in the water with so many other surfers? “It was special. It was nice! The feeling of the people…it felt like a lot of compassion out there, a lot of comradery, a lot of head nodding and smiles. It felt good out there. You can feel the love out there for sure,” said Gian Torre, who’s originally from Santa Monica but stayed in Santa Cruz after graduating from UCSC.

Rod Langley of Aptos joined Reder and Torre out on the water. He said Jack O’Neill meant a lot to him because he loves surfing and O’Neill’s invention allows him to surf longer. “I wanted to be a part of history,” Langley said, adding he’s never seen so many people in the water at the same time.

And some history might have been made at Pleasure Point during the paddle out, with so many suffers in the water at the same time. One of the coordinators of the memorial says they might have broken Huntington Beach’s Guinness World Record of the world’s largest paddle out on June 20th, when a total of 511 surfers floated on their boards and held hands.