A gathering of about 500 thronged the picnic area north of the San Clemente Pier to celebrate the life of shaper, judge, mentor and lifelong surfer Jeff “Midget” Smith.

Smith died Aug. 23 at the age of 56, ending a two decade battle with cancer.

Family, scores of friends and noteworthy members of the local and international surfing community spoke for over an hour before heading to the water for a traditional paddle-out.

There, about 400 people representing three generations of surfing, many on boards made by Smith, cheered and splashed in a large circle. Then collapsed into a tight clump where the group cheered and pounded their boards and chanted “MID-GET!”

Much of the group stayed into the evening to share stories.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.