Waterman's Weekend Honorees

Many people know of Waterman of the Year, Fernando Aguerre, as the co-founder and former CEO of Reef, or for his lavish pants and wild outfits at surf industry parties. As president of the International Surfing Association (ISA), Fernando is working hard and meeting with top sports and government officials around the globe to make surfing recognized as an official Olympic sport. In the last three years he’s introduced countries from China to Afghanistan and even Turkey to surfing and the ISA – helping create an avenue for Surfing and StandUp Paddling in countries where the sport was virtually nonexistent. Leading the way for the sport and our industry, he's launched ISA and ASP events in China, the most populous nation in the world, and one where the surf industry has a huge opportunity to create a strong consumer foothold. Fernando is also an avid humanitarian. He started and served as first president of Surfrider Foundation in Argentina, co-created the Liquid Nation Ball, and served on the global boards and contributed significant income to charities like SurfAid International, Save The Waves, Quiksilver Foundation, SIMA Humanitarian Fund, and many more. He’s also a big-time surfer himself and epitomizes surfing’s spirit and culture. In 1984, with his brother Santiago, he started Reef sandals. As Chairman and CEO of Reef, he led the company not just in the U.S. but also opened a variety of distributorships in Europe and Latin America.

  Brandon Boyd and Incubus - Environmentalists of the Year

Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Peter “PT” Townend, has a long list of accomplishments in both the sport and business of surfing.  PT was the first World Professional Surfing Champion (1976) and was a dominant figure in professional surfing’s formative years, being ranked in the top five in the world from 1976-79. From doubling in the movie “Big Wednesday,” to working as a journalist at the Sydney Daily Mirror, coaching and acting as the executive director of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) in the 80s, to working as publisher of the Surfing Group, being the voice of pro surfing on TV in the 90s, serving as SIMA president, founding and serving as president of Surfing America, to coaching the USA Surf Team, PT is an icon of the surf industry. Today, PT runs ActivEmpire (ATE), a brand consultancy company he formed 10 years ago, which specializes in brand management, athlete representation and special event marketing in the surf and skate markets. PT’s impact on the surf world is extensive, and SIMA is proud to honor PT with the SIMA Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Jon Rose - Special Achievement Award

Jon Rose will be honored with a Special Achievement Award.  A former pro surfer, Jon founded Waves For Water in 2009 after witnessing the devastation in Sumatra after a 7.9 earthquake. Jon knew surfers would want to give back to the regions they frequently travel if they only knew how. The eye-opening experience solidified the need for Waves For Water, a non-profit organization aimed to bring clean water solutions to impoverished countries around the world. Since then, under Jon’s direction Waves for Water has distributed thousands of water filters to areas such as Sumatra, Haiti, Chile and more. Jon also mobilized relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, helping the people and environment of that devastated area. Jon’s leadership, work and dedication to helping make the world a better place are crucial and he represents the best of what surfers can be.