Podcast - SURF MASTERY
140 Shane Dorian: The Art of Reading the Ocean and Understanding Yourself
What if the biggest difference between an average surfer and a great surfer isn't how they ride waves, but how they see them? After nearly five decades in the ocean, Shane Dorian has learned that surfing mastery isn't built on athleticism alone. It's built on observation, patience, awareness, and thousands of hours spent studying the ocean. In this conversation, Shane pulls back the curtain on the mindset that allowed him to become one of the world's most respected surfers. From learning to read subtle changes in swell direction and positioning to understanding crowd flow, reefs, tides, and wave behavior, he explains how true ocean knowledge is earned through relentless curiosity and attention to detail. But this episode is about far more than surfing. It's about how deep observation becomes intuition. How experience becomes wisdom. How a lifelong pursuit evolves from chasing performance into finding meaning, connection, health, family, and joy. From world titles and giant waves to coaching elite surfers, recovering from serious injury, raising surfing children, and preparing his body for decades more time in the water, Shane shares the lessons that only come from a lifetime of paying attention. In this episode, you'll discover: Why reading the ocean is one of the most important, and least understood - skills in surfing, and how Shane developed that ability through decades of observation. How positioning, patience, awareness, and studying experienced surfers can dramatically accelerate your progression in the water. What surfing has taught Shane about resilience, family, aging, purpose, and creating a life that remains rich with adventure long after your competitive years are over. Press play to learn how one of surfing's most thoughtful minds developed a lifetime of ocean wisdom - and how those lessons can transform the way you approach surfing, learning, and life itself. Shanes’ Website: https://doriancoreperformance.com Transcript: Shane Dorian: I just happen to be really, really lucky. I'm really busy with things I wanna be doing, so I'm grateful for that. Michael Frampton: Oh, good. . So- Yeah ... let's, get into it. Let's start with when and why did you start surfing? Shane Dorian: Oh, wow, we're going way back. I was born in 1972 and I started surfing... Well, my parents had a, a little restaurant on the beach in Hawaii in a little town called Kona, and the, the b- the beach where the restaurant was was a little m- white sands beach. It's a little white sand beach called Magic Sands, and I learned how to swim there, learned how to body surf there when I was about... I learned how to body s- well, I learned how to swim basically when, before I could walk, and then I started body surfing and riding on my dad's back, , when he was body surfing when I was, like, three. And then I got my first real standup surfboard when I was five. And I've been surfing ever since. And I start... I was born and raised in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, and I, this is where I learned to surf. Michael Frampton: Okay, so it's basically ingrained into your DNA. Shane Dorian: Yeah, I got a really early start. , My dad was a, was a waterman. He, he was a surfer when he was, when he was a lot younger and... So yeah, I just had a lot of exposure at a super young age. And then, you know, my... I grew up, , kind of a latchkey kid a lot. , So , my parents were gone when I would get off the school bus, and I would hitchhike to the beach with my surfboard and, , I was just from a little town so, there wasn't really... I didn't wanna play soccer. I thought soccer and football were, like, hot and sweaty and not that fun and, , I just fell in love with surfing at a super young age. I, and I've just been obsessed ever since. Michael Frampton: Was there a moment in your early surfing age where it sort of, it went from something you just did, something your family did, to something that was more than that and you developed a real passion for it? Or did that, was it a slow process over time? Shane Dorian: I guess it was a bit of a slow pr- process. I, I, it, at first it was, it was first, it was just something fun to do, right? Like when I first found surfing, and then- My, you know, I went through, like my family went through a lot with like my parents got divorced when I was about 12, 13 years old, and I was getting really good at surfing at that time. And, , surfing became like instead of just being fun, it, it, it was like the place that I would go to when I was stressed out or angry or bummed out. I would kinda, I would run away from my problems and go surfing. And so it, it became so many more things than just fun for me. And then I got, I started getting really good at surfing when I was like 11, 12, 13 years old, and then, and I started competing at a really small level here locally, and then I started going to state contests on, on Oahu, and then I started meeting kids from Oahu and the North Shore that I end up becoming really, really good friends of mine. And, and so yeah, surfing just became all-encompassing as I grew up in those kind of formative years. , I was basically doing everything in my life that I needed to do, and then I was choosing surfing at every single moment that I didn't need to do something else. Michael Frampton: And let's fast-forward to now, or m- a better way to put it is how would you describe your current relationship to the ocean and surfing, and how has it evolved over time? Shane Dorian: I mean, it's, yeah, it's, like, hard to... I mean, we could s- we could blow the whole podcast talking to that, talking about that. But, yeah, I mean, you know, I'm pretty old, so I've been surfing for an extremely long time. I've been surfing for, you know, 40, 48 years or something like that. So I, I've been through, like, so many decades, and every decade, surfing has looked completely different for me. You know, like, it was just fun, and then it was, like, to get away from stress and, and weird things happening in, at home. And then it became something I was obsessed with becoming a pro surfer. And then, then I became a pro surfer and it became work, and it was, like, chasing points around the world and chasing world titles for 12 years. And then I shifted gears and focused solely on surfing giant waves, and so surfing became, , this life or death pursuit of the personal challenge and, like, a defining thing for me as a human in many aspects, I would say. And then since I've stopped surfing, like, really giant waves, I've... It's changed again to where, like, now I have two kids and, , I w- I was really, like, hoping that they would fall in love with surfing, so I spent a lot of their childhood, you know, kind of exposing them to the ocean, to surfing, to riding waves, to going on little surf trips with me. , And so now, like, yeah, life is, life is different. You know, it's evolved in a lot of different ways, but surfing is a huge part of my life still. I mean, I just booked a surf trip, like, my big surf trip for the year, and I'm, like, excited like a little kid. It's about six weeks away and I'm, like, training for it in the gym and, , going paddling and, , trying to make sure that when I get there on my surf trip, I'm, like, operating at a super high level and I can, like, really enjoy it , like a normal person would. Do you know what I mean? Like, the, the waves around where I live are pretty mediocre a lot of times, so being a hardcore surfer, this is a terrible place to live. So I do surf, but I, it's, trying to surf consistently in fun waves is not that easy., So yeah, I'm excited about a surf trip for sure. So I, I'm still like a kid when it comes to surfing. Michael Frampton: Wow. So h- has surfing been the most consistent thing in your life? Shane Dorian: Yeah. Surfing has been the North Star, I would say- . Have you been- ... since I was really little. It was the thing that kinda led me in... It was really, it tru- it truly was, like, the thing that kept me le- r- headed in the right direction. Kept me away from... At first, it in- introduced me to drugs and alcohol and a bunch of, like, shit kids when I was a grommet. , And then I started doing bad in school, and surfing was the thing that my surfboard got taken away from me, and, , I had to, I had crappy grades for one quarter and my mom was like, "Hey, the surfboard's gone unless, unless you get your shit together. You have, you have a very small amount of time before your surfboard's for sure gone, gone all the way." And I got scared straight. So surfing has been, like, my North Star for sure in a lot of different ways through all of those decades. . Michael Frampton: Was there moments through that journey where you kinda lost sight of that , and didn't surf, and wondered whether surfing was g- you were gonna give up? Shane Dorian: No, no, definitely not. I mean, surfing is just... And, you know, it's evolved also, right? Like, surfing is looking completely different all the time. Like, when I, it, the, the one time I guess it was probably the m- at most risk of that happening, like true burnout, was when I was, had been competing at a super high level for an extremely long time, and I was in my early 30s, and, you know, I'd been grinding for 12 years on the world tour and, you know, competing at a high level, and the, the highs and lows of constant competition and the glory and the agony, , of, you know, all the emotions just constantly happening. You basically, every single person loses the contest except one person, so it's, like, brutal on your ego, brutal on your mindset and your psychology and your happiness a lot of the times. And, and then, , yeah, so when I stopped competing full time, that was probably at the, the time where I, didn't feel like surfing very much. But then I, then I became obsessed with trying to surf the biggest waves in the world and, and then so I, then all of a sudden I had this, , really exciting thing to kinda chase again. And then, and then surfing those giant waves gave me an amazing appreciation for, , the simplest type of wave riding, which is just, like, literally just that. Like, it, surfing doesn't even look like anything. For me now, , I'm stoked to go to Indo to go surf really good waves, but at the same time, I have a mid-length in the back of my truck literally at all times. It's out there in my truck right now. And, , after the gym or before I run my errands or whatever, I'll just go and surf, , one-foot waves on my, mid-length, catch like 10 waves and just start the day. , Watch the sun rise or, you know, just talk to a couple buddies, catch 10 waves, and then I can get on with my day. And so yeah, I mean, I don't know if that answered your question, but yeah, surfing is still definitely a huge part of my life. It's something I, I, I use in so many ways, like, to bring me joy and to, you know, it's there to get away from any stress in my life. It's a way to travel. Like, I, I, I, instead of just traveling randomly, I still travel to go surfing because I wanna go somewhere and actually go surfing. , And then, you know, my, my son is a really avid surfer. He's 19 now, and he never comes home, and so w- I will meet him somewhere in the world and go surfing together for . like, last year I went to, um, I went to Indo and hung out with him for over a month, and it was, like, the one time in the whole year I got to hang out with my kid, and the only reason is because we both love to surf. So that's what, he was gonna be there for a long, long time, and so I went and met him there for a month. Michael Frampton: Hmm.- As a dad for a, an up-and-coming professional surfer throughout his journey, have you been his coach as well? Shane Dorian: That's a good question. Yes and no. I would say to start, like when he got, when he started really liking surfing, at first I was just... I never... So, so first of all, I'd literally never... I mean, I've been around surfing forever. I've been around competitive surfing forever. I've been around really good surfers forever. It was my life when I was a kid. And, and I've now I've been around a lot of, uh, crazy surf parents and surf dads forever. And so I was very, very, very, aware of how weird that whole dynamic is, and I didn't ever want that to be me, and I never even thought it was like a chance, right? Because the chances of your, of a kid falling in love with surfing, getting good at surfing, and then actually turning it into an actual surf career is so minuscule that I knew those chances were , you know, the stats are completely against him. And so I just wanted to like expose him to surfing so he would enjoy surfing. So, you know, if he had a, a college break, he could go with his buddies and go surfing, because he knew how to do it and. Or if he, you know, he's in... He, he could travel and go meet people through surfing, right? Surfing is just brings joy into your life. So I just wanted that for him, to be honest. And then when he became really into surfing and he was obsessed with, , you know, improving, he knew that I knew what I was talking about, so he would always like show me his clips, and he would want me to film him, and then I ended up being like a de facto coach. And because I'm not... I mean, , like objectively I'm not a crazy surf dad, , he felt super safe and, and, um, he felt like I was a safe place to go to for that kind of feedback. , And I love helping kids get better at surfing. I love helping kids specifically get better at, at fundamental surfing, like their actual surfing fundamentals. Not so much... I'm a pretty good s-, like a competitive strategic coach, but m- more so really enjoy, um, helping kids get better just at the act of surfing. So that was a really fun for, way for us to bond as well, because we spent, you know, five years like every single day before school, after school, and then when he started doing online school we were together like bonding like crazy, because he was obsessed with surfing and I was the person who was filming and coaching and hanging out with him all the time and giving him that feedback. So we have a really, really close bond because of surfing, which I'm really grateful for. Michael Frampton: Mm. Yeah. I'm sure your background in, in surfing is a big influence on him, either directly through video analysis, but probably a lot indirectly too. So it makes me think of, I'm sure you're aware of, , someone like Remy Warren, who's- Yeah a, a hunting outfitter Whereas- Yep ... as, I think as a surf dad, , there's plenty of times where you're not filming from the beach or anything, you're just out having fun, and you might be sitting there and you go, "Well, did you see that little, that little black spot and that little twinkle on the horizon? That, that means there's a set coming from the west. We should probably paddle over there, 'cause I think there's wide sets coming in." Just all those little define- defined details of reading the ocean and reading the water. Is that something that you were conscious of imparting during his s- as he grew up surfing? Shane Dorian: Yeah, , for sure. Not enough, because he's not the greatest, um... , he's spent so much time in the ocean in his life, it's ridiculous, so. But, uh, he, like, ocean awareness and, especially, like, wave knowledge, like, he's not, he's not naturally , like a Gabriel Medina or something like that, where he's do- his, his brain's not doing da- like, data analysis with, like, wave conditions while he's staring at the ocean. , My, mine was like that. I would just sit there and stare at the ocean and, be obsessed with trying to figure out the, the puzzle of where the waves were gonna come from, which one was gonna be best, and try to, , judge which wave was gonna be best before I even paddled for it, all that kind of stuff. But I did spend a zillion hours with him, showing him lineups, teaching him about reefs, showing him how to get in and out of the water at, you know, safely at even the sketchiest waves. You know, I, I would take him... Because I had so much experience, I would feel super comfortable taking him surfing, like, pretty heavy waves when he was really, really little, and I would boost him in to these really good waves because he had, a really high ability level on the wave. But he was so tiny, he could not catch them. So it was like... And that's, , that's like a, a, like a controversial topic, right?, A lot of parents, a lot of people would be like, "You should never... , once your kid can stand up and paddle on his own, , he's on his own." And then other kids are like, other parents are, like, crazy, pushing, like, their 20-year-old kids in, at the peak at Trestles. Like, you know, it's, there's, , a wide spectrum there. But for me, it was more of, , I saw that time in the ocean together- And even the time when I spent, like, pushing him in, , as just a way to bond with my kid. , It was just so much fun to have those moments where I would help him get a good wave, and he would... I could just hear him screaming on the wave and, like, all excited when he was learning how to surf. And then when he started getting good, like, him yelling and screaming, , t- telling me about his wave as he was coming back out. That's... Those kind of moments are, like, the greatest. , They're better than winning surf- surfing competitions for me. They're more memorable than, , some of the waves I've caught in my life at Pipeline and Jaws and Cloudbreak, you know? So- Michael Frampton: yeah, I've always thought that the hardest part of surfing is what happens between when the surfboard is under your arm and under your feet. All that stuff of reading the ocean, being in the right place, choosing the right wave. To me, as I grow older, as I become better at reading the ocean and negotiating the rhythms, that's what makes me a better surfer, is... Do you agree with that, and do you have any insight into how that's evolved in, over the years? Shane Dorian: , Literally that's all I did for, like, 20 years. The first 20 years of my life was just in the ocean, scanning the horizon, looking at every lump, looking at, reading the, what the wind was doing, and then I'd be, you know, bec- just became obsessed with every single part of getting better at surfing. And then in my, the last, , 10 years or 15 years, I'm, like, purely focused on enjoying f- surfing. , Literally just having fun. I ride weird boards. I ride weird fins. I w- ride mediocre waves all the time. I'll be at Kendrewie Villas and the waves will be firing somewhere, and I'll go surf somewhere super rando just because there's no one out, and I just gonna surf and just have less people around and wanna just chill out and surf with, , one or two other people. And, , sometimes I'd, I'd rather, , get a, some melo- a mellow session with just a few friends than world-class waves with, , 80 of my best friends. And then, , just my perspective of w- what brings me joy in surfing has changed., I, I don't come in , "Wow, I was really ripping today. I had so much fun 'cause I was shredding so hard." , Those da- those days are, like, behind me. And it's not only because of my age. It's probably has something to do with that, but to be honest, it's more of just my arc, my, my life arc in surfing s- there was such a long time, you know, three decades of high-performance obsession. And so, , learning more about ripping or learning more about, , getting better at reading waves, I don't know, it's just not even on my radar anymore. It's more about- Enjoying the ocean and riding waves and going on surf trips with my family or going down the coast with a buddy or going for a session with a friend I haven't seen in a long time or surfing with my daughter, one-foot waves on a long board. I don't know, that probably sounds, , unsexy and not that fun, but i'm sure there's listeners out there that can relate to that. The simplicity of
