Photos from the Waterman’s Ball

The Waterman's Ball had some exciting moments this year including a fierce battle during the live auction for a private day of surfing at the Surf Ranch.
Published: August 6, 2018

The Waterman’s Ball had some exciting moments this year including great stories from Lifetime Achievement Honoree Rabbit Bartholomew, inspiring tales of conservation from Environmentalist of the Year Kris Tompkins, and a feisty speech from WSL Owner Dirk Ziff.

In addition, Natasha Ziff, who is also an owner of the WSL and an avid surfer, spoke about her love of the sport and admiration of the athletes. She also said she is especially proud of the WSL’s environmental efforts and its quest to improve pay and conditions for women surfers.

The live auction took an exhilarating turn this year when the WSL and the Kelly Slater Wave Co. offered a private day of surfing at the Surf Ranch.

The bidding was fierce, and went back and forth quickly, with the price skyrocketing to about $39,500. Then the WSL jumped in and offered more days at the Ranch if the bidders would agree to pay $40,000 each.

In the end, Ted Li of Boardriders, Nick Street and Bobby Gascon of Vans, and Evan Slater of Hurley and his wife, Jennifer, came away with their own days at the ranch.

That means that that one auction item alone earned $120,000 for ocean environmental charities.

Over the years, the Waterman’s event has raised more than $8 million for charity. “For a bunch of surfers, that’s not bad,” said Paul Naude, President of the SIMA Environmental Fund.

We took lots of photos of the night, which are below in our slide show.

We also have full transcripts of both Dirk and Natasha Ziff’s speeches in separate stories.

 

Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series