Book "Waterman's Eye"

by David Aquirre
(San Diego)

For Immediate Release – October 2, 2007

Waterman’s Eye
Emil Sigler – Surfing San Diego to San Onofre
1928 - 1940
by David Aguirre

At 97 years of age, Emil Sigler has seen his share of adventure. From his youth as a pioneer surfer in San Diego through a career as a commercial fisherman, Emil has always pushed his limits. The loss of an eye at the age of three did not stop him from becoming one of Southern California’s premier watermen. Besides helping to create the surfing culture of the pre-World War II era, he served for several years as a San Diego beach lifeguard and was known for his diving skills and wave knowledge.
Waterman’s Eye chronicles the early life of this amazing man from his first ride on a 140 pound redwood surfboard in 1928 to his days as a long-range fisherman. Included are 72 photographs, selected from Emil’s negatives, showing the surfboards and the characters of those early years. Among these historic images are early surfing photos of San Onofre and descriptions of the beach scene that developed there during the 1930s.
Waterman’s Eye is a unique look at the beginning of the Southern California beach culture and one of the personalities that helped shape it.

The book is available from www.surfbooks.com , Wahrenbrock’s Book House, and the California Surf Museum in Oceanside.
http://surfmuseum.org/html/archives_otd_2005.html
The subject was the inspiration for the recent dory trip of 5 lifeguards from San Diego to Catalina and back.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070924/news_1m24dory.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070912-9999-1n12row.html

Feel free to contact me regarding any ideas or needs to help promote Emil's story to your customers. 619-889-7387 or 619-462-1609

Aloha David Aguirre