Sean Collins, founder of Surfline was 59

Sean Collins, a self-taught wave forecaster who changed the way that surfers find out where to take their boards, died yesterday after collapsing of a heart attack while playing tennis in Orange County. Surfline, the self-described "most comprehensive surf-related website on the Internet," is based in Huntington Beach. Collins graduated from Wilson High in Long Beach and pursued a life of surfing. From the AP story:

Peter Townend, surfing's first world champion, remembers Collins coming to a meeting at Surfing Magazine and explaining this new phone service.

"We were all going, `We don't know if that will ever work," he recalled. "And now look at us. It's the No. 1 communication to our world."

"We've all ridden more waves because of Sean Collins. It's that simple," Townend said.

Surfline's obituary.

Also over the holidays:
Art Rogers, retired Los Angeles Times photographer was 93