My earliest memories of Will Adler chart all the way back to his 5th birthday. I had wanted to stay after the day’s festivities had ended in order to play with Will’s new gifts. My hopes were crushed with five-year-old Will telling me that the "party’s over, Shea." Since that birthday, Will and I have enjoyed summers in Santa Barbra as junior lifeguards, trekked up and down the coast of California in surf contests, and reunited in Santa Barbara during the holidays. Adler’s parents helped to cultivate Will’s proactive spirit, which is evident in his tireless pursuit of his passions. Photography, a long-standing passion of Will’s, has been inspired by his uncle, Tom Adler – an iconic figure in Californian surf photography. Will’s passions are paying off, by regularly assisting Bruce Weber and building an incredibly unique style of his own.

Will's point of view really came into it's own after his 16-month sailing trip around the world with a couple Santa Barbara friends. They all worked multiple jobs for a number of years and then departed in October of 2006 and returned in January of 2008. They started at Santa Barbara harbor, trailed down the coast to Panama where they had a memorable scare with Panamanian pirates and eventually made their way across the Pacific to a number of other noteworthy stops. The following photos give a quick glimpse of a trip of a lifetime.

We are thankful for his friendship and willingness to be an Apolis Nomad, a group of inspiring friends that contribute to the Apolis Journal and regularly field-test our collection on their travels to help us improve durability. We are also excited to have Will freshly living in Los Angeles & so grateful for the many ways he has supported us over the years with the following projects: 4th of July Video and Malibu Field-Test Photostory.

For more details of how to become an Apolis Nomad, email us.

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