FACES OF THE FESTIVAL

Surf Del Mar brings together a remarkable community of surfers, historians, artists, and ocean lovers. Here are some of the extraordinary people you'll meet at this year's festival.

Serge Dedina, Ph.D.

Conservationist & Co-founder, WILDCOAST

Serge Dedina, Ph.D., is a conservationist and co-founder of WILDCOAST, where he has led global efforts to protect coastal and marine ecosystems since 2000. With degrees from UC San Diego, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Texas at Austin, he has built a career focused on combining environmental protection with community engagement. His work includes creating marine protected areas, addressing climate change, and collaborating with governments and local communities. He has received numerous honors, including the Surf Industry Environmental Award, the San Diego Zoological Society Conservation Medal, the California Coastal Commission's "Coastal Hero" Award, and recognition as a UC San Diego John Muir Fellow and Peter Benchley "Hero of the Sea."

Kevin Anderson

Artist & Muralist

Kevin Anderson is a professional artist whose passion for drawing began in early childhood and grew into a lifelong career in fine art and illustration. He studied art at San Dieguito High School, Palomar College, and California State University, Long Beach, graduating in 1985 with a strong foundation in traditional and professional art practices. For more than 40 years, he has worked as a full-time artist creating large-scale murals and canvas paintings inspired by the California coastline, especially throughout San Diego County including Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Encinitas. His work has taken him across the United States and internationally, including projects in New York, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada, as well as major commissions in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace and Harrah's. He has completed private and public commissions for a wide range of clients, including high-profile residences in California and notable figures such as Eddie Van Halen and Merv Griffin, along with mural projects for the U.S. Navy in San Diego and Veterans Village San Diego, reflecting a career defined by both artistic craftsmanship and large-scale public impact.

Jim Lischer

Filmmaker & Lifeguard Videographer

Jim Lischer began filming in 1968 during the Vietnam War after purchasing his first 8mm movie camera, and by 1969 he was documenting surf culture while surfing the North Shore of Oahu. In 1972, he was hired as a Del Mar ocean lifeguard, beginning a 40-year career in public safety and coastal service. During his time with the City of Del Mar, he played a key role in organizing community surf contests and events involving the Del Mar Surf Club, the city, and the Del Mar Lifeguard Association. He also began filming lifeguard training sessions, a role he has continued for decades, and as of summer 2026 will mark his 54th year as a training videographer. Today, he continues to produce videography projects focused on the ocean, surfing, beach life, and private events through his ongoing work in coastal documentation and storytelling.

Todd Glaser

Photographer, Surfer & Waterman

Todd Glaser is a San Diego-born photographer, surfer and waterman. A SURFER staff photographer for over a decade, Glaser amassed over a dozen covers during his tenure at surfing's most exalted publication. His photographs have appeared in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Outside, Men's Health, GQ, and the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Forever enamored by the dynamic power of the sea and the spirit of adventure, Glaser is endlessly and intrinsically driven to capture the world's best surfers, in the world's best waves, in the day's best light.

Peter Sprague

Musician, Composer & Producer

Peter Sprague is a Del Mar music legend, who started recording his own albums at the age of 20. He's been a guest artist on many albums and toured with Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, Rianne Reeves, David Benoit, Sergio Mendes and many others. He has taught music at the California Institute for the Arts, the Musicians Institute and the annual UCSD Jazz Camp in La Jolla. He has been the recipient of countless grants and awards, including Best Jazz Artist of the year by SDMA. He is also an author, having published eleven books on various musical topics. He has also created two video courses for the Open Music Network. He has a state-of-the-art recording studio where countless artists come to take advantage of his producing, playing and engineering talents. Peter and his brother Tripp are beloved by the Del Mar community for the Christmas Eve Concerts they have been giving since the 1980s. Peter and his group will be the featured musical artists at the Opening Night Reception of the Surf Del Mar Festival at the Del Mar Plaza.

Wade Koniakowsky

Fine Artist & Creative Director

Wade Koniakowsky is an acclaimed artist with an international following and a lifelong passion for art. Wade has spent the majority of his years devoting himself to art through outlets which combine philanthropy with his deep connection to Fine Art, the Ocean and Surfing. With a background in graphic design and advertising, Wade's creativity and talent has resulted in the successful development of revered national marketing campaigns for multiple Fortune 500 companies and brands including Billabong, Vans, Surfrider Foundation, Tommy Bahama, and Roxy, resulting in over 300 creative awards. "Wade Koniakowsky's focus is capturing Polynesian dreamscapes and the related emotional tie we have with far away lands. His vibe intersects with those same emotions — unspoiled, nirvana-esque landscapes, islander portraits, and ephemeral visions that make you want to sell it all and travel." — Jim Moriarty, past president of the Surfrider Foundation.

Chris Ahrens

Author, Columnist & Former Magazine Editor

Chris Ahrens is a local author, columnist and former editor of Longboarder and Risen Magazines. His two latest books, Windansea: Life. Death. Resurrection, and Good Things Love Water, are available at numerous bookstores and surf shops nationally.

Jeffrey Lehmann

Emmy-Winning Television Host & Producer

Jeffrey Lehmann is an Emmy Award-winning television host and producer best known for the PBS travel series Weekend Explorer, which he has hosted, written, and produced since 2001. The sustainable eco-travel series has earned multiple Emmy and Telly Awards, including the 2025 Telly Award for Culture & Lifestyle TV Series, and airs on PBS stations nationwide as well as international broadcasters. Lehmann is also developing Ocean Explorers, a series focused on inspiring stories of scientific and environmental leaders working to protect and restore the world's oceans. In addition to his television work, he serves on the board of the San Diego Underwater Film Exhibition and previously served on the board of the North American Travel Journalists Association from 2008 to 2023. Passionate about environmental conservation, Lehmann also advises and volunteers with multiple ocean-focused nonprofits and helps environmentally sensitive destinations around the world develop sustainable tourism initiatives.

Sarah O'Connor

Ocean Artist & Painter

Sarah O'Connor is a Del Mar ocean artist whose paintings are inspired by a lifetime spent surfing, diving, and walking the shoreline. With a BFA from the University of Notre Dame and over four decades of painting experience, she brings the physical, sensory experience of the coast onto canvas — capturing the energy, calm, and timeless freedom of the sea. Sarah paints both outdoors and in her ocean-view gallery studio in Del Mar, where her work celebrates the memories, movement, and healing presence of the ocean we all love.

Shaun Tomson

World Champion Surfer, Author & Speaker

Shaun Tomson is a world champion surfer, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. A former World Surfing Champion, he has been named among the greatest surfers of all time. He is the author of Surfer's Code, The Code: The Power of "I Will," and The Surfer & the Sage. Through his speaking, writing, and Code Method, Tomson has inspired audiences around the world to live with courage, commitment and purpose.