Favorite Patagonia products
“The Travel Beanie. I’m biased because I helped design it along with Geoff (Patagonia’s alpine product guru), but it’s a product I’ve been wanting after 15 years of non-stop travel. It’s made for sleeping on trains, airplanes, sidewalks, etc. You wear it as a beanie during the day and then at night swing it around and the long neck (with a slit for your nose) covers your eyes without letting in any light. We even built a small pocket on the inside for stashing earplugs. It helps you get a bit of sleep when you need it. I also love the recycled Minimalist Board Shorts. They’re solid, no gimmick trunks that dry fast.”

Contests and Traveling
Dan actually won his very first pro contest, the 2002 Faith Riding Pro at Sunset Beach, but promptly left competitive pro surfing to travel with his friends, and he hasn’t stopped since. Dan’s energy, optimism and enthusiasm keep him traveling constantly and always prepared for the next trip. An example of a “typical” trip occurred in August/September of 2005. His first stop was Bali to help Taylor Steele with a film project. From there, it was off to the Mentawais to meet up with his brothers, Rob Machado, Dave Kalama and Gerry Lopez to take part in Laird Hamilton’s next movie – and, incidentally, catch the wave of his life. And finally, he made his way to Taiwan, a place not known for good surf, but his crew scored epic waves at a variety of spots that had never been ridden before. Dan’s take on Taiwan? “It’s amazing when a real swell hits and all the reef breaks are empty.”

Variety is the spice of life
Fishes, thrusters, longboards, one fin, two fins, three fins, no fins – rarely will you see Dan riding the same board two sessions in a row: “If I ride the same board too much my surfing starts to become dull. When I borrow a friend’s board, or take the fins out, it reminds me that I’m still just a kid sliding on water.”