Fresh off of an unexplained absence in Portugal that cost him what most people make in a year, Dane Reynolds just posted another video on his blog, that again shows him riding what appears to be a piece of shit, this time at shoulder high reeling rincon. It begs the question, where exactly is Dane going with this?

After a couple great (contractually obligated) performances two weeks ago at the Quik Pro France, Dane's first time suiting up for a heat this season (eventually losing a very close heat to Jordy Smith in Round Three), he once again slipped back under the radar, presumably back to his beloved Emma Wood, withdrawing from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal a day before the event.



The ASP will not tolerate such insolence, and has sent their goons to Ventura to actually break Dane's ribs, just to prove a point.

I lied. But that's not to say that the ASP didn't discipline the young man. After a string of no-shows and blue-ball-ings from Mr. Reynolds, the ASP actually voted earlier this year to increase the fines for such behavior. By 5 times. That's $25,000 for the first offense without notice. Dane had already racked up $2,500 for missing Tahiti (would have been $5k, under the former rules, but Dane gave them warning he wasn't coming, so $2.5k)

So I guess that's the second big effect Dane has had on the ASP, besides basing their entire judging criteria on his surfing, he forced them to change their rules to properly punish pro surfers who refuse to surf.

So after pulling this stunt again in Portugal, Dane now owes the ASP an additional $25,000. All in all, Dane is paying $27,500 to have someone else surf his heats for him. Perhaps Dane should have sent his filmer Mini to all the events to wear his rashie, paddle out on his bodyboard, and not care in heats. That would have been cheaper at least.

Now let us talk about Dane and his sperm whale.

Since his season has been spotted with minor and mysterious injuries, Dane had been seen surfing funky hand made fun-shapes whilst re-habbing. Understandable. But now, after 3-4 videos showing him riding mini-tankers while healthy, and in good waves, it seems that Dane is taken a liking to these anti-progression sleds.

If you have been paying attention to pop culture for the last decade, you may have noticed that many styles have reverted back to "Lo-Fi". Music for one. Bands like Washed Out, Dane's beloved Man Man, Dirty Beaches, the list goes on. Fashion. Way-farer sunglasses, mustaches. Hipster fashion revolves around wearing what your parents did when they were 12. Photography. Holga cameras, polaroids, and now the awful hipstamatic iphone app. (it hurts my soul to even type that).

Now, it seems that Dane has taken this Low-Fi approach to his surfing. No airs, no mind-bending reverses, no fin-ditches. Just rail to rail, high lines, and wounded gull all the way.

Its rad. Its stylish. It sucks, but in an awesome way.

And considering he won't be on tour next year (unless he applies for the injury wildcard) it wil be interesting to see how far he takes this stand against progress.

I suppose when you've leading the progressive charge for a while, the only interesting route is backwards.



Dane Reynolds Sucks At Surfing. from Michael Kew on Vimeo.