dane, auditioning for the sequel to "Harry and the Hendersons"...
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“Have a good time, all the time”. A classic quote from a classic individual. Dane grew up playing in the rugged waters of the pacific northwest under the tutelage of his father Al, a lifelong waterman and surf shop owner in a highly atypical surfing environment. Never one to let the cold, less-than-ideal surf conditions hold him back, Dane tapped into the joy and diversity of surfing at an early age and quickly became adept at riding a wide variety of surf craft in whatever waves were in front of him. Before long, he was roaming the coast in the family van, packed like a little freckly sardine between his mom, dad, and sister, surfing all over the joint and basking in the glow of a life intertwined with the sea. Since those early days wandering the shores, dane has gone on to become an exceptionally gifted surfboard craftsman, an unbelievably talented wave rider, and an underground man of mystery. He can currently be found (but not easily) on a lonely, rainy stretch of coast, tip-riding, tube-riding, duckdiving, taking naps, shaping wave-slaying oddities, and cultivating a devastating afro/beard combo.
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laying tracks on a self-shaped stringerless oddity
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dane, with a world of options ahead
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one fin, one love...
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Here’s Darshan’s take on the man behind the beard:
Through my twenty years in the water, few have had such a personal and profound impact on my surfing life as Dane Perlee. Growing up respecting my elders in the tight-knit pleasure point neighborhood , the thruster was king. The design fit the competitive, performance-driven vibe of the local crew and facilitated the radical and aggressive behavior on land being brought into the water. Not only was it was frowned upon to ride anything unconventional, but physical and verbal confrontations were commonplace when inexperienced surfers or outsiders perceived as disrespectful even so much as drifted towards our beloved surf zones. With the exception of a few local surfers who had long since proved their salt, riding alternative equipment was taboo and ‘violators’ were shamed for it…
When the re-birth of the fish revolution in the early nineties sparked curiosity in alternatives to the modern thrusters, most neighborhood folks stuck to their pointy-tipped fiberglass blades. Being a surf-stoked grom at the time, I found great joy in taking the center fin out of an old Rick Noe my dad bought me as a kid, and began to experiment with”trick surfing”, spinning the tail around and eventually graduating to doing airs. Those early experiments had struck a chord and spurred me to look beyond contemporary equipment for my personal enjoyment in the water.
Around the same time, I began seeing and taking notes of a humble, afro-farming bare-footer as he took to the surf on an endless variety of boards of various shapes, sizes, and levels of oddness. The guy always emerged with a smile. I got the sense he was happily doing things his own way and wasn’t in the least bit concerned with how others perceived him. I can’t remember exactly how i befriended Dane, yet I do remember clearly that i admired the way he operated in and out of the ocean and was inspired by his positive, original nature.
Dane opened my eyes to a lot of things. Not only did he lend me boards that were radically different from anything i was accustomed to riding, but he naturally encouraged and challenged me to take a look outside the box, which opened new doors in my surfing and other aspects of my life. Through this friendship I learned a lot about myself and my desires for the future. As I reached a place where i wanted to ride any and all types of shapes, Dane’s gifts as a surfboard builder and designer translated the possibilities in my head into great boards under my feet.
In many ways, Dane is in a league of his own in his ability to create and look so natural riding a full spectrum of equipment. Classic logs, twins, pins or single fins, Dane’s surfing is as diverse as the types of waves and crafts he likes to ride. A waterman through and through, I’ve often seen him leave all his boards at home and body surf for hours. Whatever the case , Dane will find a way to commune with nature and his love for the ocean is as clear as the sun is bright.
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check back soon for more photos and videos.
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