Dan Costa and the Retro Movement

The very first time I saw a picture of a surfboard built by Dan Costa, I knew I had to talk to him. Had to. The boards are beyond words, the finish looked incredible and the shapes are right up my street.

I decided to email Dan and see if he would mind having a few words with us about what makes him tick, what inspires him and keeps him going.  I emailed him and he said, “sure, send me some questions over and I will have a look.”.

That very same day of his reply I was being summoned by the wind and fate. The gentle off-shore breeze was sauntering through the office carrying with it the smell of eucalyptus, conjuring thoughts of lines and clean waves. The sun was out, there was a good swell in the water. There is only so much an addict can take, it was time to down tools and head for a spot that I knew held promise.

I was greeted with small, but otherwise faultless conditions and slid my 9’6 out. No leash and endless right hander peelers on tap. I had a few waves and then settled into scan the line up. That's when I saw it, the sun glinting off the golden brown resin tint. An exquisitely finished surfboard being paddled by a lucky chap called Norman. I enquired as to the boards origin and was informed it was a 'Retro Movement' surfboard built by Dan Costa.

Firstly, of course it was, and secondly I don’t believe in coincidences.

We got talking and it turns out that surprisingly enough, the only things Norman liked more than his board was his life and maybe his wife. I tried to ask for a wave or two on his board but somehow, sadly it never happened.

So now I feel a bit like I have been jilted, teased and perhaps have an itch to scratch. It was a couple of months ago this happened and I had not sent Dan any questions, instead holding out for an excuse to make the 2-3 hour drive down the coast and meet him in person.

Sadly fate has not given me a second chance, so I eventually caved in and sent the questions. Let's find out what makes these boards look so good.

SB: Hey Dan, sorry about the delay and thanks for your time. What is the secret of your surfboards, the finish and the design? How do they look so good?

Dan: hummmm the secret??? Well, there’s actually no secret, it’s love, dedication, effort, commitment, frustrations, joys, a lot of time in the shaping room, more time in the water, traveling, working with other shapers, years of experience, listening, staying humble, keep things simple.

SB: Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any past shapers you look up to?

Dan: Well most of it from water sessions, you see, sometimes when I’m surfing and after a couple of waves I paddle out there’s this moment when I’m waiting for the next set. It comes into my head… the ride, the board and how the board feels in the water and in that moment I start to realize what can be changed, where to add curve or where to flatten, add volume or take some off, drop the rail... those things.

It all just comes to my head, after that, I rush and go straight to the shaping bay, grab a blank and draw those lines on the foam.

The shapers, yes, obviously yes!  At the top of my list is for sure Donald Takayama, his boards are the best, they are meant to be ridden and perform incredible well. From all the boards I’ve tried, and I’ve trired really a lot :). Yater, Velzy, Jacobs, Harbour, Scott Dilon, Joel Tudor (Takayama school), Hansen also, great Dewey Weber has a couple of good designs also.For me the Takayama are by far the best. All of them were great surfers with style, and style is important.

SB: What is the board you have most enjoyed shaping, who was it for and why?

Dan: My first Pig, it has a funny story that one, it was in the first year Alex Knost come to Salinas and he was riding a Pig similar to a Velzy. I tried it and fell immediately in love with it. I asked Alex if I could take the template, he said: “sure bro” and so I started looking for some card board or something but couldn’t find any. Man I had to get that outline some how, so I grabbed my board bag, placed the board on top of it and a kind lady went home and grabbed me a thick pen. With everybody watching  I drew the template on my board bag and took all the rest of the details from the board with my hands. The first thing I did back home was to grab a Clark Foam Blank I had saved for something special and made my very first Pig. The next year in Salinas Alex Knox came to me and looked at the board. He was pleased to see how close the board I shaped was to the original . Still have the board it and it’s still one of my favorites.

SB: What do you think about surf localism?

Dan: It’s part of surfing since I can remember, it started as a way to protect the surf spots and keep the respect and order in the water.

SB: What do you think about Daniel Thomspon's new Modern Planing Hulls?

Dan: It’s great to see a young generation of shapers interested in old design and add their own ideas, that’s how things evolve. With people like us who are not afraid of doing our thing, even when people criticize. I still remember when I start shaping, everyone criticized me because I was putting more volume on the boards. This was on the early 90's when the boards where like 18’’ wide and 2 or 2 1/8’’ thick, now everyone has realised that volume is a good thing and the most selling boards are the thicker ones.

I'm also developing new concepts as we speak, and for sure I will have some critics, you can check it out on my new internet site debuting this summer. I am launching my new personal brand, where old Retro Movement will be included.

SB: I really want to order a custom board from you, a little stubbie single fin, how much would it cost with all the bells and whistles. What would the waiting time be like.

Dan: Well both depends you know, there’s no limit to the bells and whistles. It´s hard to tell, I´ve done so many things on so many boards, so many different client requests… we can add so many things to the look… my boards are 100% craftsman made, there is no CNC in my shaping room. I need time to ensure the right performance for the specific surfing and wave riding of a particular client, the perfect design, the kind of blank etc.

SB: Apart from yourself, who do you think is making good boards at the moment?

Dan: Well, I think everybody knows the difference between real shapers and the guys who are learning how to make boards. There are so many good guys out there in the world doing great things, we are living at a very fortunate moment in surfboard design. The retro thing has unlocked Pandora's Box and now people have so many things to choose from. A tip; a good shaper knows how to surf, a surfboard needs some performance. If its just a nice board it’s better just to hang it on the wall.

SB: Can you explain the feeling of wave catching to someone who has never done it?

Dan: It’s difficult, when I try to explain to people don’t believe, people say I’m being a dreamer.  So I just say: It really feels good spending time in the water with your friends.

SB: An extra special thank you to Dan for giving us his time. There are so many aspects to consider when having a board shaped 100% for you and 100% by hand, there endless possibilities and nuances in the shape, glass, weight and feel of the board. This is an art form that is becoming recognized for what it is and people like Dan are helping it get there.

In my personal opinion, there is no substitute to having a board made 100% by hand. My most beloved surf vehicles are those made with 10 digits with myself in mind and I have a theory why. People may argue that a CNC (shaping) machine is more accurate to get the basic shape cut, leaving the shaper, more time to finish more boards by hand. Agreed.

The problem I have is that I believe that mistakes are part of great board design. The failed (accidental or not) experiments teach us as much as the successful ones, who knows maybe my board will be the best mistake a shaper can make. After all, we are all 100% different why shouldn't our surfboards be.

Check back for more updates on Dan and his truly amazing looking surfboards.