The beach community is embodied by a culture of a unique lingo, fashion, lifestyle, and people. Making new friends seems to go hand-in-hand with sharing a mutual love for the ocean.

As a whole, the beach community makes it feel like everyone knows each other. From the nice surfer you meet checking out the swell in the morning to the old guys aggressively dropping in on every wave trying to assert their dominance, creating some sort of bond with others is a routine occurrence when going to the beach.

The strong ties created among the people that comprise the beach community can be demonstrated in a number of ways. One way, in particular, is the way they honor the lives of family members and friends after their passing: with a paddle out ceremony.

For Kari Tieman, a local of small beach-town San Clemente, California for over 20 years, “a paddle out is a private way for a group of friends and family to memorialize a life lost.”

This tradition is a staple in surf culture, which can be seen through famous paddle out ceremonies for iconic surfers like Duke Kahanamoku, Eddie Aikau, and Andy Irons. Paddle out ceremonies for surf legends are often held annually to remember the life they lived and legacy they left behind.

“People gather on the shore and then many of them paddle out together beyond the break, sometimes with flowers and/or ashes. Once beyond the break, they form a circle while sitting on their boards and begin to commemorate, pray, and speak about the person lost,” Kari said. 

Contrary to popular belief, paddle out ceremonies are not an ancient tradition introduced to the world by the Hawaiians. Historians believe that paddle out ceremonies began in the early 1900s when Hawaiians and surfers would celebrate the life of one of their own, as native Hawaiians traditionally buried their dead on land.

Alaina Cousineau is a 21-year-old junior attending the University of Southern California (USC), striving to get a degree in cognitive science with a minor in occupational science. Alaina is also a member of USC’s women’s water polo team, ranked No.1 in the nation and reigning national champions.

Alaina grew up in San Clemente, California, where she naturally learned to love the beach and the culture that surrounds it. “Growing up we would always take family trips to T-Street, having some of our best memories there,” Alaina said.

A little over a decade ago, Alaina experienced a tremendous tragedy within her family. Evan Cousineau, Alaina’s twin brother, passed away on Nov. 2, 2007. He was only nine years old.

Several months before, Evan suffered from a seizure after one of his swimming practices. Evan was immediately rushed to the hospital and was later diagnosed with Adrenaleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare genetic disorder causing severe damage to the brain and adrenal glands.

The doctors devastated the Cousineau family when they were told Evan had no longer than a year to live.

Following months of chemotherapy, blood transfusion operations, and the constant search for a solution, Evan caught a powerful post-operation fever and passed away.

After this untimely tragedy, family and friends of the Cousineau’s gathered together and held a paddle out for Evan at his favorite beach, T-Street.

“For our family, the typical grave site seemed to cause more grief and pain, rather than a true celebration of his life,” Alaina said. “We knew we would want his final resting place to reside here as well.”

Over 100 of Evan’s family and friends gathered together to celebrate his happy energetic life and his love for the beach.

“Seeing all of our family, friends, and community come out to our favorite beach with smiles on their faces and leis on their necks was the perfect way to honor Evan,” she said. “The special thing about a paddle out is when I’m at the beach, at T-Street, or any other location, I can know that Evan is everywhere around me and I can cherish that knowledge.”

Today, Evan is remembered in a number of ways.

Gina Cousineau, Alaina and Evan’s mother, created the Be a Hero, Become a Donor foundation designed to promote marrow, blood and organ donations so that we all can be heroes and help others who may be battling life-threatening situations by providing hope.

USA Water Polo created a tournament called the Annual Evan Cousineau Memorial Cup, in honor of Evan’s fighting spirit, where kids have a fun and competitive weekend. This tournament was created to promote Gina’s foundation and has successfully done so, with over $200,000 worth of proceeds recorded in 2017.