Watermen defined: True Watermen are a rare breed

Some think true Watermen appear in glossy magazine ads, on gigantic billboards and edgy television spots. While this may be true for a select few, most original watermen do not clamor for the spotlight.  They seek what they know, the Ocean.   Elite Watermen are not interested in proving themselves to the world; they are humble and let their actions speak for themselves. 

A Waterman is not a rank; it is a lifestyle.  Surfing started, with true Watermen, fishing, diving, living on coconuts and the ocean’s bounty.  Watermen are connected to the ocean like mangrove forests.  While many try to become what they consider one with the ocean, only those with salt water in their veins achieve aquatic greatness

When a true Waterman spends too much time on land, they need the purification of water.  The smell of the sea brings olfactory memories of sleepless nights sailing through heavy seas, big fish caught with small spears and possibly the very meaning to their existence. 

They don’t need a fresh water shower. Watermen are comfortable with salt on their skin, hair and eyes. 

The sea calls to everyone, but watermen speak the language of the sea.  Surfing does not make Watermen.  Watermen are of the sea.  They feel strange on land, wish mermaids were real, and don’t tell fish stories, but live them. . 

True Watermen are a rare breed – oceanic gurus.

Watermen Boardshorts

Designed by watermen and ocean lifeguards for watermen and ocean lifeguards. Our Waterman/Lifeguard boardshorts sport clever key features that offer superior fit and unmatched comfort in the waterman industry. Original Watermen uses only the highest tech performance fabrics with all Waterman and Lifeguard clothing products...

Original Watermen promotes the newest 21st century fabric technology and take great pride in developing cutting edge fabrics and garments that are completely comfortable even after a 15 hour day in the surf, on the sand or in the tower. Our quick-drying lifeguard and waterman shorts are always cut from the finest cloth…. Ultra Light- weight fabrics that feel like cotton and wear like iron! All watersport shorts and uniform shorts are color fast, chlorine and sun resistant and last, almost forever.

Comfort and a perfect fit are key to performance in and out of the ocean. Waterman lifeguard boardshorts always perfect and are comfortable for days of constant use and abuse. All Original Waterman boardshorts are super quick drying and made from a durable combination of multifaceted fabrics, where often times, our customer’s comment that they feel like they aren’t wearing shorts. Our goal is to keep the average surfer and the most hardcore watermen comfortable and coming back to tell their latest tale. The waterman design team spends time and money on boardshort detailing.  Must have tools of the trade specific to the lifeguard and/or waterman industry include oversize sized pockets that can actually fit a wallet, wax or an ipod.  The legendary lifeguard cargo pocket is large enough to fit a lifeguard radio or a CPR mask.

Watermen Fear and Salt

There comes a time in a watermen’s life when they find themselves in a situation where fear takes over, and the waterman is dealt a rough hand in a game of poker against the ocean itself. The brain begins to grasp the options at hand and place them in queue, respective to greatest chances of survival. Then without voluntary control, the sympathetic responses in the brain begin activating the fight-or-flight response, which is programmed into humans and animals alike since the beginning. Watermen, being a humble breed, will not handle a life or death situation the same way as their peers. Instead, watermen are quick to manage biological emergency responses, and draft the best plan of action for survival.

What are we talking about here? We are talking about the fear of possible death among a deep, powerful, unpredictable, and merciless sea. It’s the fear an offshore sailor experiences when they have no other choice but to take down all sails, lock all hatches, and go below not knowing if they will make it through the storm. It’s the fear a waterman gets when the waves suddenly grow too fast to reach the shore safely. It’s the fear a free diver experiences when realizing he/she is lost in a shipwreck with only minutes of air left in his lungs. It’s the fear a lifeguard has when conditions become overwhelming, being left to wonder whether saving that particular person is within limits of possibility. It is the fear a beachgoer gets when realizing the shark that just dismembered a limb may be coming back for seconds. It’s the fear a poor swimmer encounters when they grasp the fact that the rip current they just got pulled in to may be their last. For non-water type people reading this, relate this to the feeling when your life is flashed before your eyes, and the next actions you make will change your fate.

To earn Waterman status, not only must you excel at all things water, but you must frequent these situations with caution and respect for the unknown. Each time a person experiences this fear and respect of the ocean, they “Earn Their Salt”. This happens grain by grain, until they are entirely comfortable in that situation and the flame for the fear of the sea is reignited. The task is never complete, but those with the most salt are often the best, well rounded, humble, and genuine Watermen. This is why at Original Watermen, we ask you to ask yourself if devoting your life to Earning Your Salt is something you really seek.