The Waterman’s Gala on Saturday night in Huntington Beach, California, brought something to the industry that it hasn’t felt a lot of lately – good vibes.
Despite the event being smaller than it was during its glory years, several factors helped generate a happy air during the event including:
- Waterperson of the Year honoree Nathan Florence and his wife, Mahina, who were down-to-earth, gracious, and approachable throughout the evening. Nathan has an infectious smile, which was on display much of the night. Plus, his whole family came, including John Florence, which added star power to the gathering.
The Florence family: Nathan, John, Alex and Ivan. Photo courtesy of Pat O’Connell.
- A great speech by Environmentalist of the Year Vince Scandone, a top executive at Audi, who has helped raise over $700,000 for SIMA’s Environmental Fund over the years.
Audi executive Vince Scandone with Paul Naude, president of the SIMA Environmental Fund. Photo by SES.
- The attendance of several industry executives who haven’t been to the event in a long time including John Wilson of Stance, Matt Biolos of Lost, Mandy Fry of Z Supply, Wing Lam of Wahoo’s, and Mike West of 686.
Mike Wallace of Roark, Mandy Fry of Z Supply, Curt Fry, Drew Dolkas of Roark. Photo by SES.
- The addition of I-SEA as a major force at the event – that table was clearly having a good time, with co-owner Joey Santley bidding on several items and bringing the energy.
I-SEA co-owner Joey Santley in blue with number, bidding on a pack of surf goods from Nathan Florence’s sponsors. Photo by SES.
- The optimism generated around surfing after the sport’s strong showing at the Olympics.
- In addition to bringing its executive team, Reef also brought several of its athletes and influencers to Waterman’s, including Billy Kemper, Makoa Ho, Victoria Vergara, Noah Beschen, Maluhia Kinimaka, and Brent Bielmann. Famous surfing icons Lisa Andersen and Tom Curren also attended. Having the athletes from a variety of brands definitely added a dose of glamour.
Shea Perkins of Reef with Reef surfers Billy Kemper and Maluhia Kinimaka. Photo by SES.
Unfortunately, Billabong founder Gordon Merchant, the Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, had to cancel his trip to the U.S. from Australia after his brother passed away. He did send a video clip of himself accepting the award and thanking SIMA for it.
Vissla CEO Paul Naude, who serves as the president of the SIMA Environmental Fund and is the driving force behind the Waterman’s event, thanked those in the room for attending and donating to the cause.
“All the support is vital,” Naude told the crowd. “It’s up to us to protect the foundation that gives us the basis for an industry and a lifestyle that we love.”
Naude chastised others for not supporting Waterman’s, which raises funds for ocean-related environmental nonprofits.
“There’s been a seismic shift in the industry recently, as virtually every heritage brand except Rip Curl – and I thank Rip Curl for maintaining such a stable core base – has changed ownership to a licensed model,” Naude said. “And despite their massive volume, not one of them made any contribution to this event tonight.”
Randy Hild and Lisa Andersen. Photo by SES.
During his acceptance speech, Nathan Florence talked about the new look of the industry, including his and his brothers’ decision to partner with the Hurley family on the Florence Marine X brand.
“I couldn’t image a better turnout in life than to not only be paid and sponsored to surf, but to be on one company together with my brothers and to have a hand in running that,” he said.
“A lot of great leaders spoke up here. It was inspiring to hear Gordon (via video) and Vince and Paul, and to hear everyone speak about the industry and where it is today and where it can go, it gets us so excited about the future and we now have a hand in what that looks like,” Nathan said. “And for us it’s about being a leader in not what just brands can do in environmental initiatives, but also in the way the athlete/brand relationship works and our relationship with the ocean.”
Over the 35 years of the event, the SIMA Environmental Fund has raised more than $10 million through the Waterman’s Gala, SIMA Industry Luau and the #SurfCleanOceans campaign.
See more photos from the evening below in our slide show.
