He is best known to the general public as one of two surfers - along with Robert "Wingnut" Weaver - in Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer II.
He gained celebrity status when he took one of the lead roles in Bruce Brown's remake of his 1966 classic The Endless Summer.
He maintained his seed for many seasons, peaking in 1998 at 11th on the World Champion Tour WCT and 10th in the Surfer Poll.
O'Connell and fellow pro surfer Mike "Snips" Parsons launched The Realm, a start-up clothing venture.
[4] Pat has also been one of the regulars (along with Donavon Frankenreiter and Benji Weatherley) on the "Drive Thru" series of surf movies and television shows since 2005.