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Long Beach surfing legend Patrick Kneebone remembered at paddle-out memorial – Long Beach Press Telegram
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Patrick Kneebone, originally from Long Beach, loved to score big surf along the Southern California coast and beyond. A paddle-out memorial was held in his honor at the Seal Beach Pier on Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Graeme Tivey)
Patrick Kneebone was known for charging some of the biggest waves along the Southern California coast and beyond.
He wasn’t into contests or competitions — simply the thrill of dropping into big surf wherever he could score.
Kneebone, who grew up in Long Beach but most recently called Huntington Beach home, was remembered in a memorial tribute Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Seal Beach Pier.
Kneebone died Jan. 3 from a heart attack at age 53.
“Patrick is a stand-out Long Beach, Southern California legend — a globetrotting surfer who lived the dream,” said Dave Hegstrom, who knew Kneebone for 35 years. “He’s a big influence in a lot of the surfing community in Long Beach, two or three generations of surfers who looked up to him and loved him.”
He owned a painting company, Kneebone Painting, a career that allowed him flexibility to travel to some of the globe’s best waves, in places such as Bali and South Africa.
Surrounded by rose petals, friends form a circle during a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Judith Gass, of Irvine, tosses flowers into the ocean as friends paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With a flower in his mouth, a surfer heads into the surf for a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Wearing her dad’s wetsuit, Olivia Kneebone, left, walks on the beach after a paddle out in memory of her dad, Patrick Kneebone, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Rose petals float in the ocean during a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A friend shows off a commemorative t-shirt after a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends form a circle as they paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Photos of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, sit near the sand after a paddle out in his honor on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends head into the surf for a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Photos of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, sit near the sand after a paddle out in his honor on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends catch a small wave as they head to shore after a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With lifeguard boats providing a water cannon salute, friends snap photos from the pier during a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends head into the surf for a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends toss rose petals from the pier during a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A friend checks out photos of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, after a paddle out in his honor on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends head into the surf for a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends brought flowers to toss from the pier during a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends head into the surf for a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A seagull flies past a paddle out in honor of Patrick Kneebone, a Long Beach surfer known for his hard-charging ways on the waves, on the north side of the pier in Seal Beach on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kneebone was known for his playful antics, including surfing in clothes instead of beachwear. In 2012, he made headlines for a rescue attempt in Huntington Beach, noticing swimmers in trouble as he watched the sunset.
“He was a real hero, a real nice guy,” Hegstrom said. “He never said one negative comment about anyone. Even though he was a hard-core surf guy, he had a soft heart.”
His outgoing personality allowed him to make friends wherever he went, whether it was at the Wedge to take on the beastly wave, the competitive Huntington Beach Pier, wintertime bombs on the south side of the Seal Beach Pier and Black’s Beach in San Diego, or across the border to more remote surf spots in Mexico and around the world.
“He was just an underground legend, that’s what made him even more notorious. He would just show up and get the biggest (waves),” Hegstrom said. “He would paddle out past everyone, no matter how big it was. He wanted the biggest ones, the biggest drops. He traveled the world and made friends all over the place.”
Graeme Tivey, of Australia, knew Kneebone from surf trips to Indonesia, where he would capture images of Kneebone when he came to the islands to surf.
“Patrick didn’t just love to surf, he loved the whole surfing community … his board was his passport. He would get the locals to take him to their special breaks, organize a boat and take the whole gang,” Tivey wrote in an e-mail.
“Next thing, he’s being invited to weddings. He always had a group of locals having a chat with him and made a lot of friends. With all the negativity going around the world, Pat was a great ambassador and showed us that there is not much difference between us all.”
Kneebone is survived by his 14-year-old daughter, Olivia Kneebone.
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