The search for Pierre Agnes, CEO of the company that owns surf giant Quiksilver, was called off on Wednesday 31 January.

Agnes’s motor boat was found washed ashore and empty near his home on the French Atlantic coast on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old had set off on a fishing trip near his home in Capbreton on the morning of Tuesday 30 January but did not return home.

The search and rescue operation included helicopters, boats and a jet ski.

31 January

Concern is mounting for Pierre Agnes, the boss of surf giant Quiksilver after his motor boat was found washed ashore around 15 miles north of Biarritz

Agnes is missing at sea and was last seen on Tuesday morning setting out on a fishing trip near his home on the west coast of France. His motor boat was found upturned and empty on Soorts-Hossegor, a surfing beach near Biarritz in France.

Reports in The Telegraph stated that the 54-year-old French father of three was last seen setting out in rough seas around 7.30am on Tuesday. Agnes is believed to have been alone on board his 11-metre motor boat, Mascaret III, when it headed out in the Atlantic near the resort of Biarritz.

According to The Telegraph report, Agnes was planning to go fishing near Capbreton, at the mouth of the Boudigau and Bourret rivers. In a call to French maritime authorities soon, he said he was delaying his return because of thick fog.

The Quiksilver CEO’s boat was found in Soorts-Hossegor on the French Atlantic coast

Friends and family raised the alarm at 9.15am when they could not make contact with the sailor. Soon afterwards Mascaret III was found washed ashore.

The French coastguard is continuing to search for Agnes.

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A former member of the French national surfing team, Agnes has worked for Quiksilver for 30 years and became CEO in 2015.

Quiksilver was founded in Australia in 1969 but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. The company now sits under the Boardriders umbrella alongside its other brands including DC Shoes and Roxy.

The Quiksilver CEO’s boat was found in Soorts-Hossegor. Credit: Flickr/Gaël Chardon

In a statement released by Boardriders on Tuesday 30 January, the company said: “Early this morning our CEO, Pierre Agnes, did what he did many mornings and went fishing on his beloved boat to start his day. Later in the morning his boat was recovered on the beach near his hometown and Pierre has not been heard from since.  The Boardriders family and entire surfing world are devastated by this news.”

The statement continued: “We are concentrating on working with the local authorities on the search and rescue effort and supporting Pierre’s family.”