Growing up in Seal Beach’s Surfside neighborhood, Jodie Nelson never expected to have the encounter with a 30-foot minke whale that she experienced while making an ocean crossing on a paddle board from Catalina Island to Dana Point.
But then again, she says she was probably just about ready for a miracle of sorts.
Nelson, now a San Clemente resident, was still grieving over the loss of her friend and business partner Steve Adler in The SUPspot to supply the needs of paddleboard enthusiasts.
Long Beach native Adler, who was only 40 years old, died suddenly of an aneurysm on Thursday, March 11. He had recently completed a paddleboard competition, but a genetic heart problem took his life as it did his father’s life at age 49. He had made a name in the surfing industry shaping boards and starting a business at age 18 called The Surfboard Factory in Westminster.
“Steve was one of my dearest friends,” she said. “He was like a brother to me. He was on the boat coaching me when I was training for this. He was supposed to be on the (support) boat when I did the paddle this year.”
Nelson was carrying on despite her grief on Sunday, March 28 with the SUP Paddle with a Purpose race, her breast cancer fundraising paddle across the ocean. She was to be the first woman to attempt the 40-mile crossing in the race. She said she was certain she would not be alone as Steve’s spirit would be there with her on the water.
Nelson was also hoping to inspire her best friend, Angela Robinson, who has been battling breast cancer, to keep up her struggle to survive.
Nelson, 34, also hoped her nine-hour effort would also help raise $100,000 in funding for two cancer charities and raise awareness. It is a personal quest for her as both mother and aunt are breast cancer survivors.
After paddling into the channel between the island and the mainland, Nelson suddenly found herself escorted across the sea by a 30-foot minke whale swimming next to her 14-foot board. The whale, although one of the smallest of the whale species, still had a leviathan like effect on Nelson and the crew of her support boat as it accompanied them for two hours of her long journey.
Minke whales, which are rare in Southern California, appeared to Nelson as more than a coincidence. Its appearance was more like an apparition.
“To me it was a total God thing,” she said.
She said she and friends had prayed at 4 a.m. that morning for God to reveal himself in some way and to bless her efforts to raise money for the cause to fight breast cancer and give her the strength to complete the race.
Nelson said traveling for the two hours with the whale she named Larry reminded her of her training sessions with Adler in which they would paddle and chat about business and life.
“Paddling and training with Steve was always painless,” she said. “Our friendship made the workout painless and time slipped away.”
The whale also made Nelson a little nervous at times like when it would glide and roll under her paddleboard and blow bubbles in her path. The scary feeling subsided as Nelson reveled in the wonder of the sea creature at her side and the exhilaration of her physical efforts kicked in.
By the time the race ended Nelson was both elated and deflated. She had only raised about $9,000 towards her goal. That was soon to change. Thanks to a film crew that was on board the escort boat the story was picked up by CNN, Fox News and ABC.
In addition Nelson’s adventure ended up on Yahoo’s home page.
Within the next 24 hours donations to Nelson’s cause topped $100,000 and the total is still climbing. She said the experience helped her bid farewell to her friend Adler and accomplished what she had hoped for—a paddle with a purpose.
Now Nelson is hoping that people who knew her friend or were touched by their stories would give to another cause.
“There is a fund set up at all Farmers & Merchants Banks where people can donate to a college fund for Steve’s 13-year-old son Clark Adler,” she said. “They just need to send a check in his name.”
There will be a paddle out ceremony at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 18 at Surfside beach, where Adler lived for the past six years of his life.
