Sean Collins (Right) shown with Rob Machado (left) and Robin Walker (middle).

Sean Collins, who founded Surfline.com died Monday, December 26th 2011 from a heart attack in Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.  The resident of Seal Beach was 59 at the time of passing.

According to his son, A.J. Collins, he was playing tennis in Newport at 2pm when he died suddenly.  Sean Collins was not only a surfer but a visionary who changed the way surfers found waves by allowing them to track and monitor the swells and winds narrowing every spot down to a science.  Collins founded the Huntington Beach company with no formal training on tracking weather patterns, just his passion.  Surfline started out as a phone services and quickly advanced to become the most powerful forecasting tool for surfers.

Collins was inducted into the surfing Hall of Fame in 2008 for his life-long dedication to surfing.  “People tell us we can’t do it, and we’re going to try that much harder,” Collins said in his Hall of Fame induction speech in reference to his company Surfline.  He was also named one of the 25 Most Influential Surfers in 1999, and the 8th Most Powerful Surfer in the Surf Industry in the summer of 2002.

“I founded the site because I saw a need, but primarily because I wanted to follow my passions and wanted to control my own future. I believe the real secret of my success was to surround myself with really good people who could help to build our business,” Collins said in an interview with The Register.

“The personal payoff is the lifestyle of continuing to be able to chase great surf around the world while getting paid for it, and I couldn’t do that without my great team of people.”

Sean Collins said about the Secret to Success in his Surfline Biography: “Really simple things when you think about it. Mostly just follow your passion, try to be a really good person and a good judge of character, and then just surround yourself with a great team and really good people. Add lots of luck and all kinds of great things can happen.”

His words, “Follow your Passions,” is how Sean lived his life and the way he will be remembered.

Information about the service is pending while his family tries to come-to-grips with the news.

RIP Sean Collins, you will forever be missed.

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