It seems like an eternity since some of the first paddle outs were held a hundred or so yards off the country’s beaches.
They were designed to to honor the passing of a surfer or a member of the sport’s community.
And one of the most important paddle outs in quite a few years will be held the Saturday of the 62nd annual East Coast Surfing Championship at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in August.
In will honor Paul West – one of surfing’s best friends who died last October.
He was 63 and left behind a wife and two children.
After 32 years as the ECSC’s director of surfing competition, West retired from the contest, moved to Neptune Beach, Fla., and started a family.
He served with the United States Surfing Federation, the International Surfing Federation and was pretty much a recognizable face at all surfing competition.
His outgoing nature, warm smile and inviting personality helped during his love of the sport.
This year’s ECSC runs Aug. 18-25, with most of the surfing competition around the First Street Jetty. Other events will be held all the way north to 11th Street.
I was happy and honored to be inducted into the ECSC Legends Hall of Fame with West during the contest’s 50th anniversary in 2012.
In Florida, he and his wife successfully worked the real estate scene.
Recently, Jason Borte and Rich Brown made plans to honor him with a paddle out during the longest continuous-running surfing events in the world.
It will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 24 and will definitely draw a large – if not huge- crowd.
Borte said the event will start on the beach with several comments from members of the local surfing community.
“We’ll have carnations that people can take out with them, then we’ll all paddle out, form a circle and honor Paul,” Borte said. “It might take about 45 minutes, but it will be pretty emotional.
“We all loved Paul.”
Borte said that most paddle outs tend to be on the smallish side, but a few draw the attention of more surfers.
“They’re typically not this big,” he said. “I expect a large group, young and old, just lots of people who knew Paul or knew of him and want to pay tribute.”
Borte, who runs a summer surfing camp and owns surf camp company, said that anybody who wants to have something said about Paul can contact him at: jborte@yahoo.com
So what is a paddle out?
According to some traditionalists, the events were started in Hawaii in the 1920s and were adopted by the California surfing community in the late 1950s. They have become common all over the world.
They are called “floating memorials in the ocean” and they aim to represent the way the ocean brings people together.
Participants usually take out a flower to place on the water during the event.
But when it comes to honoring West – a 1978 First Colonial High graduate – no help is needed.
The sun, water and lots of surfers will do just fine.
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