http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/sean-collins-1952-2011_64380/
Collins Family
Surfline.com Founder Sean Collins Dies of Heart Attack at 59 in California
By Nancy Kercheval - Dec 27, 2011 9:01 PM PT
Sean Collins, the founder of Surfline.com, died of a heart attack two days ago while playing tennis in Newport Beach, California, according to his website. He was 59.
Collins, who began surfing at the age of eight, developed a proprietary information system that kept surfers, lifeguards, U.S. Navy Seals, theNational Weather Service, television and movie production companies, government agencies and the Coast Guard up to date on wave actions around the world.
“I’ve been in storms 100 miles out at sea, then surfed the same swells the next day,” Collins said on his website. “I was always looking at charts to plan my surfing and sailing, and developed a keen sense about the ocean.”
Surfline started as a phone service that provided proprietary surf reporting and forecasting services. After two years, Collins left and started a rival company. He bought out Surfline in 1990.
Five years later, he started Surfline.com to send free surf reports and then in 1996 added the first live surf cam. In 1999, Surfline had 200,000 unique monthly visitors, which eventually jumped to 1.5 million, according to the website.
Collins was named one of the 25 Most Influential Surfers of the Century in 1999 by Surfer magazine. In 2008, he was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.
The Association of Surfing Professionals said on its website that Collins had been instrumental “in developing the best event windows for the world’s best surfers to perform in.”
He learned about sailing aboard his father’s 50-foot boat.
“My favorite part of racing was bringing the boat back,” he said on his website. “We could take our time and search out surf spots.”
Collins is survived by his wife, Daren, and two sons, Tyler and A.J.; his mother, two brothers and a sister.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington atnkercheval@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net
Collins on the sand in Seal Beach circa 1980.
Surf world mourns Surfline founder Sean Collins
December 26th, 2011, 8:33 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer
Sean Collins, as he got inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame.
It’s with a heavy heart that I’m hearing of the sudden and tragic passing of Sean Collins, founder and president of Surfline.com.
Collins, who suffered a heart attack on Monday, had a profound influence on the surf culture, and was regarded as one of the most influential surfers of our time. He revolutionized the way people sought waves, first with a phone service with forecasts, then with the world’s largest surfing website.
The soft-spoken Seal Beach surfer had a passion for finding waves, and seemed to be connected to the weather – having deep knowledge of charts and patterns, but also having a huge spiritual sense of how waves would come together to form something magical.
This one is personal. He was someone who indirectly touched millions of surfers, but for me – he changed my life. When I first started covering the coast, Collins explained swells with enthusiasm, making the scientific into intriguing, the complicated understandable.
He took me under his wing, guided me to the right people to talk to, called me with scoops and always – no matter where he was in the world – got back to me if I needed a quote about a swell brewing. We’d meet up at Taco Surf in Surfside with former OC Register science reporter Gary Robbins (who knew him since 1985 and wrote a tribute here), take down a few beers and talk about the logistics of swells.
He was someone always ahead of the curve when it came to technology, and encouraged me to embrace the digital world. I remember a long, thoughtful e-mail he sent me one day, gently encouraging me into a digital direction – pick up a camera and shoot photos, learn how to video edit, do a blog, he wrote. This is where it is all heading.
It was a turning point for me, a light bulb went on. His guidance was a big reason I ended up on the Beaches beat, and in turn doing a job I love with the same passion he preached in his own life. I will always be thankful for that.
At the U.S. Open of Surfing, he’d always quietly make his way into the media booth to say hello, pulling up a chair and asking about my family and life, and we’d share stories of travels and he’d catch me up on the adventures of his sons, who he was so very proud of.
I know Sean touched many people in the world – whether you check out the cams in the morning to head out to your favorite surf spot, or track big swells around the world to seek out – he had an impact like no other in the surf world.
Plain and simple: He helped us all catch more waves.
I wrote an article for the Orange County Register about Collins and his impacts and influence on the surf culture, which were huge … unprecedented. Read more about his influence here.
He was a friend, mentor and innovator in the surf world. Our thoughts are with his family, and I will keep you posted on information as it comes.
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