Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz

Paskowitz died on November 10, 2014, in Newport Beach, California, aged 93. His health had declined following hip surgery earlier in 2014.

In June 2010, Variety reported that Sean Penn intended to produce and star in a movie about Dorian Paskowitz.

In August 2007, Paskowitz launched the Surfing For Peace project to deliver surfboards to the small surfing community in Gaza. Paskowitz had to persuade the Israeli government to let him deliver the surfboards because after Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007, Israel has only let in essential humanitarian supplies. Paskowitz founded Surfing For Peace together with his own son David Paskowitz, as well as Arthur Rashovan and Kelly Slater, after reading an article in the Los Angeles Times which highlighted the lack of surfboards in Gaza.

Surfing For Peace worked with OneVoice Movement, a pro Israeli-Palestinian peace organization, to successfully deliver the surfboards and hold a follow-up benefit concert in Tel Aviv in October 2007. The successful surfboard delivery gained international attention for Surfing For Peace and launched a global community of surfers and supporters who aim to use the shared-surfing experience to bridge cultural and political barriers.

A documentary film about Paskowitz's family directed by Doug Pray, Surfwise premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007 and was released in theaters by Magnolia Pictures in 2008. Despite the fact that Paskowitz attended the world premiere and many other screenings, he never actually watched the film. In episode 30 of worldsurfradio.com Paskowitz spoke about his life and the Surfwise documentary.

In 2000 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Paskowitz was described as a health guru and had a strong interest in health issues. He advocated natural diets low in fat accompanied by exercise. Paskowitz wrote a book in 1997 (republished in 2007) on his philosophy about health and other issues titled Surfing and Health.

After two failed marriages (including one that resulted in two daughters), he realized that he did not feel happy as a doctor. Paskowitz went to Israel for a year, and found himself happier than he had ever been. He volunteered for the Israeli army in 1956 during the Suez crisis, but was rejected. He then returned to the United States and focused on surfing full-time.

In 1946, he first visited Hawaii, and went surfing with Duke Kahanamoku.

Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz (March 3, 1921 – November 10, 2014) was an American surfer and physician, who gave up practicing medicine for a living and decided to become a professional surfer. In 1972, he founded a surf camp run by his family, where campers could live alongside and surf with members of the Paskowitz family. He and his family have been referred to as the "First Family of Surfing".

Paskowitz was Jewish, and was born March 3, 1921, in Galveston, Texas. He was one of three children born to Russian Jewish emigrants Louis and Rose Paskowitz. His sister is former actress Sonia Darrin. He attended Point Loma High School, San Diego State, Stanford University, and graduated from Stanford Medical School in 1946.