The Paterson Family

Mark ‘Pato’ Paterson has been surfing Down South since 1957 and helped pioneer surfing at Yallingup. Mark started surfing as a little tacker at North Cott Surf Club when he was age 12 or maybe younger. He used to pinch the big kids 16 ft Toothpick plywood boards.

In the late 80s the Paterson family’s love of fishing and surfing led to their permanent move from Cottesloe to Yallingup Beach in the Southwest. Mark and Marie’s passion for ocean pursuits has passed on to their children Paul, Jake, Daniel and Oliva. The kids became familiar with the Southwest coastline and the small population who lived in the region.

Mark ‘Pato’ worked for Brambles (metro) for 23 years before joining Creatures of Leisure in Dunsborough on 3 December 1989. He retired from Creatures in 2009 and now enjoys his fishing more than ever 😊.

Pato was a talented surfboard and later kneeboard rider and represented WA back in 1970 with a State Senior Men‘s Title.

The boys backed that up with numerous State Junior titles and, in 1988, all three siblings represented WA in the National Schoolboys Championships at Bells Beach. Their passion for the ocean remained but they began to take different pathways. Paul spent more time in Hawaii chasing the bigger swells. Jake did the World Pro Tour and Dan fished for that uniquely WA fish, the Dhufish.

The Paterson boys Paul ‘Antman’, Jake ‘the snake’ & Daniel ‘the dog’ are talented surfers excelling in powerful waves.

Eldest son Paul won the 1996 O’Neill World Cup of Surfing title at Sunset Beach Hawaii, the 1999 Reef Big-Wave World Championships at Todas Santos Mexico and the 2001 Billabong XXL Largest Paddle-In Award for a 48ft wave caught at Waimea Bay Hawaii. He finished third in both the 2001 & 2002 editions of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave events at Waimea Bay. Paul has retired from pro surfing and is now a water safety officer at major surf contests held in WA including WSL events.

Jake defeated Bruce Irons (Haw) to win the 1998 Mountain Dew Gerry Lopez Pipe Masters in Hawaii. In 2000 and 2001 he won back-to-back J-Bay Open titles in South Africa. In 2003 and 2005 he won the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing event at Sunset Beach in Hawaii. (In 2005, he defeated world champion Andy Iron (Haw) to win his second O’Neill World Cup of Surfing). Jake has retired from competing on the Pro Tour and now coaches pro-surfers on the WSL pro circuit.

Daniel is a goofy footer free surfing and fishing for Dhuies in the Southwest.

The third generation of surfing Paterson’s, Pato’s grandchildren, are now being unleashed on WA beaches😊