The Matthew Nichols Paddle Out
On Wednesday, January 8, 2014, friends & family paddled out at the Balboa Pier to celebrate Matthew's love of water with a moment of prayer and reflection. In honor of Matthew, a dime was thrown into the water along with Matthew's mom's favorite flowers. As the parents and friends look on from the pier, a young seal popped its head above the water right where Matthew's mom was watching. It looked at her at length and then in awe of everyone on the pier it did a beautiful dance, with its head up looking up at all the friends and family... The seal swam up and down the pier and then slowly swam back out into the water...
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 133 The Pier at Sunset after the Paddle Out for Matthew Nichols. |  134 The Pier at Sunrise after the Paddle Out for Matthew Nichols. |
Paddle Out Videos
Paddling Out
Friends and family paddled out at Balboa Pier on stand up paddle boards, surf boards, and some even swam.
Moment of Silence & Prayer
Family and friends joined hands and commemorated Matthew with a moment of prayer and relection.
On the Water
All formed a circle, and in the middle three bouqets of Matthew's mom's favorite flowers were thrown into the center of the boards.
The Splash
Everyone then splashed water in honor of Matthew and shouted, "To Matthew!" The group stayed out on the water for awhile, knowing that Matthew would have been out on the water that day, too.