Marin County loses a fixture in the surf scene

Local Marin County surfer Dan Dafoe’s body was found today at Fort Chronkhite beach, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. On Wednesday he was surfing solid eight to ten foot (presumably) closeouts at Chron, a beach break that when there’s swell thumps as hard as any spot in Northern California. But when Ocean Beach, SF’s 15 foot-plus victory at sea it’s one of the only plausible spots to surf in the area.

Dan went unconscious in the water while two of his friends tried to pull him to shore, a set rolled through and washed him out to sea. Two dozen rescue personnel and a Coast Guard helicopter led the charge to find Mr Dafoe. By yesterday afternoon he was presumed dead in the cold, foggy Northern California waters.

“He was such a good dude, always stoked to see me at Chron and always gave positive words of encouragement,” his friend Tyrone Brendel, of Bolinas said. “At least we know he passed at one his favourite places on earth.”

The Marin surf scene’s a tight knit group, there aren’t many spots in the area and Fort Chronkhite’s the most consistent break. The surfing population’s small compared to most regions on the California coast, in the parking lot everyone knows each other. Dan was an active member the in the community. He grew up in Hawaii and Napa and was a skilled water man. He worked as a contractor and in his free time played guitar and sang in a punk band called The Atomic Machines.

In an interview in 2008 with the Marin Independent Journal, Mr Dafoe spoke highly of the very same break that took his life. “There’s nothing like being here when it’s good,” he said. “It’s a place you surf for half your life or more with your friends who are also your family. That place has a lot of good memories for me. Surfing makes me a better and happier person. It’s my quiet time, my release. Life is about living, and what better way to live it than to be a surfer?”

The 40 year old, had his last ride on the beautifully ominous dark stone beach beneath the Marin Headlands. He is survived by his wife Erica Dafoe and will be dearly missed by the Marin County community.

Rest in Peace sir.