Dana Miller

Dana Miller

National Teamrider.

Instagram. @Boardheadinternational
Year of birth. 1957
Height. 6’, 183cm, tall enough to reach stuff but not so tall as to start hitting my head on door jambs. I tend to run my boom around 128cm.
Weight. 185 lbs, 84 kilos or a few cookies over 13 stone.
Hometown. Pistol River OR feels more like home than anywhere I’ve been so far.
Home spot. Cape Sebastian or the Rogue jetty depending on what’s happening for wind and swell.
Sponsors. Ahhh there is so much love flowing my way and the crew at Goya/KT have been far beyond huge for sure.  Much gratitude is due.
Sponsored gear. So I’m set up to sail in anything from 6 to around 70 mph.  My rather mindblowing (if not conspicuous) production quiver features 2.8, and a 3.3 in older Fringes.  3.7 and 5.3 in last generation Banzais and current issue 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 Banzais  along with my especially cherished 4.7 Surf x.   My new production ride is the 94 Quad 8.  And please feel welcome to get with me if you’re on the south coast and want to get some turns on any of that.
What makes your ride? It’s about getting into that elusive flow state for me.  And I’ll be eternally grateful for how much the gear helps me find that more and more.  It’s no small thing to get with the rhythm of the conditions and see the lines unfold.  Sure, sometimes, just getting out is a win.  But it’s a great comfort to know that if I can visualize it happening, the gear is going to take me there.  And that there is so much potential for me to improve because the gear is so much better than I am.
What is your most memorable session? Hopefully, it hasn’t happened yet.  But for now it’s the last one I suppose.  The set waves I missed.   The ones I caught.  And just how beautiful it was to be out again after too long a layoff.
What’s your magic gear and when did you realize it? That 88 ltr. KT custom thruster let me know right away.   And my new 94 quad 8 was love at first ride as well.  Even though I did find myself missing a lot of my outside turns during my first couple sessions until I settled into the new sweet spots.   As for the sails, I had a chance to ride the new Banzai Surf when Mr. Diffin showed up in Pistol to test some of the preproduction.  So I had a pretty good idea how ruined I was for anything else before the new line even dropped.
Dream Trip. This whole life has been one. Really. I dare not ask or even hope for more. Even though I have been dreaming about getting back to the Rock for awhile. Indeed, I’ve been missing Maui and my people there large.
Dana Miller