“Conversations: on the line with Sam George and Dane Kealoha,” ran in the Jun 1984 issue of Surfing magazine. Kealoha at this moment had gone against an ASP world tour ban against top surfers competing in Hawaii’s Triple Crown events. He won two of the three contests but was penalized by the tour and lost his 1983 ratings points, and lost his Top 16 seed, which brought a premature end to Kealoha’s storied world tour career. The text below has been slightly edited.

Why don’t you explain the conflict that occurred in Hawaii this winter from your perspective?

It was basically my own personal decision. My sponsors got behind it because I laid the ASP rule book down and everything was legal and everything I was doing was correct. All through the year, everybody was surfing in their own geographical areas until it came to Hawaii and I felt, you know, that we were being misled a bit, so I surfed.

A lot of people see you as the archetypical Hawaiian surfer and that your decision had cultural overtones as well, like you owed it to the Hawaiian people to surf in the Hawaiian events.

No, it was more just a personal decision on my part, and with my sponsors behind me saying “okay,” it made the decision easier. I have a family now; it’s my responsibility to surf in every event I can to put food on the table.

Even though you felt you were in the right, was it worth the risk of being ousted from the top 16?

If I get disqualified from the top 16, if they take my points away, I’m not afraid of surfing the qualifying trials again. I’ll do whatever they want, I’ll surf anyway they want me to surf. But again, I felt that we went through the right set of rules and did the right thing, and all of a sudden they changed the rules on us.

Would you still go on the tour if you had to surf in the trials?

Yeah, I would. There’s nothing that would stop me from surfing the trials. If I could make the top 16 at the beginning of my career, I feel that I could get into the top sixteen now if I had to do it again, yeah.

You’ve been near the ratings almost since the tour started [in 1976]. Do you feel it’s harder to break into the ranks now, as compared when you were starting?

It’s definitely harder. There are a lot more good surfers in the ratings than there was three years ago. When Tommy Curren and Martin Potter came up, that made it even harder. They’re all younger than us and it’s pretty heavy having a kid come up out of nowhere and blow you away. It’s a good thing, but competitively, for the older guys, it’s kind of a bummer.

Well, that’s what could happen, Dane, in the trials. What’s going to happen?

At the moment, I still have my 1983 ratings points. There hasn’t been a decision on whether we’re going to settle the problem or pay the fine. The decision should be made before February 29. 

[Note: Kealoha was told that if he paid a fine for competing in the Triple Crown, he could keep his 1983 points. He chose not to pay the fine, on principal.]

Ten percent of what I won in the Triple Crown, plus an additional $1,500. If I don’t pay, they strip my points and ratings.

It’s only happened to us [Hawaiian surfers] so far. I think everyone will learn from this one. The sport still has to grow, it’s growing so much. It just has to grow up a bit more. I think it’s going to be a great circuit.

Not so long ago you were just a hot Hawaiian kid.

Guys like Brock Little and Jason Majors, kids like that, they think I’m an old guy; it’s like, “What’s this guy still doing out here?”

You spoke about growing up. How has your life changed now that you’re married and have a baby?

It’s put my mind in a really relaxed state because I don’t have only surfing contests now. I have my family, a son that was born on February 8, 1984, just a couple of weeks ago, and I have a beautiful wife, and I’m satisfied with them.

Being married to a former Miss Hawaii, who wouldn’t be?

(Laughs) Yeah, she was Miss Hawaii, and she’s done modeling, but she flows pretty much with my career, my type of work. You know, I’ve introduced something new to her family and she’s introduced something new to my family. It’s a learning process. There’s nothing really planned for the future. We take it step by step, play it by ear.

It’s Dane Bryan, that’s my name, but we changed his middle name so nobody will call him Junior. It’s “Manukai” and it means “bird of the sea” in Hawaiian.

He’ll be of the sea, that’s for sure.

Everyone’s been telling me that you look fitter and trimmer than ever.

My wife knows that I need to watch my weight. I’ve found that on small waves I surf better if I’m lighter, it’s just common sense. A lotta guys either change their weight or they change their boards, and I think my boards are perfect. I’m riding thrusters now, shaped by Glen Minami. They’re a bit thinner in the tail, and more responsive, more positive than the twin fins I was riding. So I iust gotta trim down my weight and settle into the right spot for the beginning of the year, in smaller waves. Then before Hawaii next year, I’ll pick up a few pounds so I can drop down those hairy faces (laughter).

I just don’t eat that much and I surf a lot. Eat three solid meals a day and exercise, and surf, you’ll stay pretty much in tune. That’s how I lose weight.

Oh, unreal. She’s Chinese-French. Put those two dishes together.

[To Carol Kealoha] How’s Dane as a husband? I asked him how you handled having a famous husband and he told me he had to adjust to having a famous wife.

CAROL: Oh, I’m over the hill already. It’s so cute sometimes though. We’ll go out to eat somewhere and all these little kids will stare at us, going, ”That’s Dane, that’s Dane.” But nobody will come up to him and I’ve walk over and say “Go ahead, he’s not going to bite you.” He’s a good husband. Now he’s a good daddy too. He gets up at night.

Dane Kealoha gets up at night for baby’s feeding. Not to change diapers, I hope.

Dane Kealoha (1984)

Subscribe or Login

Subscribe or Login

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

Features

The Sunday Joint

Videos

Contests