Shane Dorian Almost Drowned, but Fatherhood Is What Changed Him

Shane Dorian rides waves you'd think are unrideable. But after nearly drowning at the Mavericks six years ago, his perspective on life changed. He thought about his infant son, Jackson, and about watching him grow up. He was no longer down for messing around with nature without being as protected as possible, and resultantly designed the game-breaking inflatable wetsuit. 

Jackson is Shane's mini-me, but he's sure to make clear his son can forge his own path. Together, they surf and hunt, but besides ensuring his son's never cooped up like too many of today's children, Shane emphasizes manners and kindness. He wants Jackson to be independent, and he uses hunting to teach him about life, stressing that practice is no video game. 

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Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of this father-son dynamic is that Jackson also teaches Shane. Shane's blown away by his son's focus, especially in the eye of firing his arrow, and taking on intense waves or big skate ramps. Mostly, Jackson's taught Shane how to remain determined in the face of fear.   

Like any good dad, Shane lives to see his son happy, and loves to see him go nuts, but he knows a thing or two about growing up tough, and makes a concerted effort to raise Jackson to be ruthless. They surf not where the beaches are kind, but where there are raw lava rocks, sea urchins, coral reef, and tube coral. Shane's making sure Jackson's got the tools to survive, inflatable wetsuit or not.