Having a child and parting ways with your major sponsor, with whom you’ve been with for over a decade, are two pretty major life events to have to deal with by the time you’re 30.

Couple this with being put on a pedestal as ‘the best surfer in the world’ for the majority of your twenties – whether you liked it or not, whether you were competing or not – and you’ve got the kind of pressure that could thwart the progress and progression of any major athlete.

Dane, however, dealt with this all in his stride, it would seem. Always surfing the way he wanted to. Never taking himself too seriously. Prioritising the things that made him happy. Whatever way you look at it, sponsorship and competitive results be damned, Dane can be proud of the way in which he dealt with the slings and arrows of the pressure and expectations of the surfing world.

Dane’s long time filmer, Mini Blanchard, is still pointing his camera Dane’s way. While the beak of his board is bare, and he might be carrying a few extra kilos (having a child is hard on the male species too!), the unpredictable spark and undoubted skill is still more than present. 

Sure, it’s only a minute or so of junky Californian Summer peaks, but we hope this clip is the harbinger of some more greatness. We all know he’s holding.