Waterman's Ball Raises $400,000, Honors Environmental and Surf Legends
The dire situation in the Gulf of Mexico put a fine point on the importance of supporting environmental efforts that protect and clean the world’s oceans and beaches. Never before has supporting these causes been as important, said Paul Naude, Billabong’s chief executive and president of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association’s Environment Fund’s board of directors. He was referring to the BP oil-well disaster, which has resulted in petroleum spewing into the Gulf for more than 80 days.
The 650 attendees at the 21st annual Waterman’s Ball, a fund-raiser benefiting the Environment Fund, donated more than $400,000 to the cause through silent and live auctions. SIMA will distribute those funds to 19 ocean-environmental organizations that address water quality and ocean pollution issues, defend beaches and surf breaks from development, or provide public education about ocean conservation.
The event, held at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel in Laguna Niguel, Calif., was also an opportunity for SIMA and its members to honor some of the organization’s own.
Al Merrick, legendary surfboard shaper and founder of Channel Islands Surfboards, was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award.” In his absence, surfer Kelly Slater accepted Merrick’s award, relaying stories about how the reclusive yet fatherly shaper influenced not only his surfing but his life.
Tom Curren, three-time world-champion surfer and poster boy for the ’80s surf scene, accepted the award for “Waterman of the Year.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was awarded “Environmentalist of the Year” for his work with Riverkeeper, which led to the restoration of the Hudson River in New York and the creation of more than 125 Waterkeeper organizations around the world. Kennedy also serves as the senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which works to protect wildlife and wild places and to ensure a healthy environment on the planet. Kennedy isn’t a new face among SIMA members. In 2006, Kennedy spoke about the environment during the association’s annual Surf Summit event, held in Los Cabos in Mexico’s Baja California.
Despite the sobering environmental disaster in the Gulf, the Waterman’s Ball lost none of its playful approach to fund-raising. Reef’s Fernando Aguerre showed up in one of his characteristically bizarre get-ups, which this year included an animal-print fez accented with a much-maligned vuvuzula horn he used to voice his pleasure during the live auction. Other attendees also made interesting sartorial choices, donning sandals, ascots and bow ties with their suits or even opting for a traditional kilt ensemble.
