The words “Follow Your Passions” will forever be inscribed in concrete on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street.

Sean Collins, the founder of Surfline.com, wrote the phrase when he was inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame in 2008 and lived by those words. The influential surfer dedicated his life to following waves, tracking winds and sharing stories of swells with the world.

Collins, 59, died Monday from natural causes, according to the Orange County coroner’s office.

His youngest son, A.J., said Collins was playing tennis at his club in Newport at about 2 p.m. when he died suddenly from a heart attack. The family was together, trying to grapple with the news.

For the surfing community, Collins’ death means the loss of one of the most influential surfers in the world. He changed the way people sought out waves around the world.

Collins founded Huntington Beach-based Surfline, which started as a phone service and became one of the most powerful surf forecasting web sites in the world, guiding surfers who once aimlessly searched for waves but now had information readily available to predict the best windows for waves.

read more at ocregister.com

also see article on surfline

Brodie Carr, CEO of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), submitted resignation today, effective at the end of this year. “The Board of Directors met today and reluctantly accepted the resignation of Brodie Carr,” says Richard Grellman, independent chairman of the ASP Board and interim CEO. “We would like to recognize his valuable contribution over the last six years and wish him every success in the future.”

Carr is credited with several positive initiatives for the sport, including bringing Fiji back to the ASP Dream Tour in 2012 for the Volcom Fiji Pro. However, his recent restructuring of the ASP World Tour was a cause for complaint among some throughout the past year.

The news comes on the heels of the ASP’s premature crowing of 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater last week at the Rip Curl Pro Search in San Fransisco. “It is my duty to accept responsibility for the recent calculation error,” said Carr in a statement released by the ASP. “The determination of the ASP World Title is the most important moment in professional surfing. Ultimately, the responsibility for every activity within ASP lies with me. Therefore, I have elected to resign my position as CEO.”

Carr’s resignation is a bit surprising, but no word yet on his next moves. Carr brought impressive professional achievements to the ASP when he started in 2005, previously working for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. We would not be surprised to see him catapult to another, just as impressive, position in the near future.

According to the ASP, “Slater, who officially confirmed his 2011 ASP World Title on Sunday at Ocean Beach, will join the remainder of the ASP Top 34 at the 11th and final event of the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Billabong Pipe Masters, from December 8 – 20, 2011.”

story via transworld

Two world-renowned powerhouses join forces to develop a line of wetsuits, rash guards, skins and other products for the active lifestyle.

Redondo Beach, CA – October 19, 2011 – Two names that inspire. Two names that are synonymous with ocean adventure and protection of the environment. Jean-Michel Cousteau and Body Glove International announce a new line of wetsuits, rash guards, skins and other active lifestyle products that unite the distinctive designs and colors made famous by Jean-Michel Cousteau with the superior quality and global brand recognition of Body Glove. A percentage of the sale of each Jean-Michel Cousteau Body Glove wetsuit and other products will go to preserve and protect the oceans through the vital work of Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society.

“Body Glove is honored to be launching a new and vibrant line of wetsuits and other aquatics products with Jean-Michel Cousteau,” said Russ Lesser, President of Body Glove International. “Body Glove and Jean-Michel Cousteau share a unique intertwined history. For sixty years Jean-Michel Cousteau and his family and three generations of the Meistrell family, founders of Body Glove, have independently been dedicated to preserving and protecting the oceans. Together we will be able to provide the gear necessary to allow safe and comfortable access to the water. Body Glove is especially excited to develop products with Jean-Michel Cousteau to build upon this shared legacy and to benefit a cause as vital as the Ocean Futures Society.”

read more at bodyglove