Dan Mann. World Class Shaper + Surfer + Prone Paddler.

Dan Mann makes surfboards for some of the best surfers on the planet; and for us normal humans. Dan has been shaping boards for over 30 years and in the last year he’s been showcased through a number of surf programs that highlight the best and most celebrated surfers riding boards that have been made for them by the most accomplished board builders, but under the veil of anonymity.

In the last two of these stealth contests, the only two he’s been in, Dan has made it to the podium. He’s won one and got second in the other; against the best and most recognized shapers in the game. Not a fluke. The two surfers? One happened to be the GOAT, 11 time world champion, Kelly Slater and the other is Australian super style master Ethan Ewing; with some of the best surfing I’ve ever seen.

With more than 15,000 hand-shaped boards and tens of thousands more built from his designs, Dan has quietly become one of the most influential board designers of the modern era. And he’s as passionate about shaping today as he’s ever been.

But this conversation is about much more than surfboards.

I’ve known Dan since the 1990s, and he’s always done things his own way. He’s an exceptional surfer (who, believe it or not, only rides frontside… aka switch stance), a world-class prone paddler and Catalina Classic winner, and the founder of The Loop Race which is one of Southern California’s iconic paddleboard races in San Diego.

Dan has an authentic and passionate way of seeing the world and when you hear about the mentors and icons he’s spent time with, you start to understand where some of it comes from. Dan shares the stories and lessons he’s picked up along the way… which go far beyond surfing.

This is a conversation about craftsmanship, competition, creativity, the ocean, doing hard things, finding your own “seam;” ultimately it’s Dan’s full story… which is way bigger than surf.