RIP Sean Collins 1952-2011

[Eddie Offermann]

Sean Collins, the man who revolutionized the way surfers find the best waves with the surfline telephone report and surfline.com, passed away while playing tennis in Newport Beach the day after Christmas.

Many of the articles about Sean's passing indicate that his love for sea and surf and his knowledge of weather forecasting originated in his childhood while sailing a 50 foot sailboat around Southern California and Baja.  What they haven't mentioned is that his father was Whitney Collins and that boat was Newporter Hull #70, Leprechaun.

Sean's knowledge of meteorology was largely self-taught, and fueled by his own love of surfing. He didn't just forecast weather and surfing conditions - he forecast the way, decades later, everyone would find out where the best waves were breaking. By tuning in to world weather reports on short wave radio, and converting marine weather forecasting equipment to use in a car, he spent years travelling throughout Mexico, anticipating where offshore weather patterns were developing and how they would impact surfing conditions. Today, this is second nature thanks to him and his collaborators - and by providing this information via telephone and later online, he transformed the experience of decades of surfers.

The artwork at right of the 1971 Transpac course for Leprechaun lists Sean as the Assistant Navigator on the Starboard Watch. He would have been 19 at that time.

As a man who's shaped the future for so many lovers of the ocean, we're proud that one of our beautiful boats played a part in shaping him. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and we know his contributions will give him a lasting legacy for decades to come.

Rest in peace, Sean.

Other links:

USA Today  NY Times