Watch: Dane Reynolds And Co. vs The Caribbean Triangle Factory

Howard Stern once mocked Pamela Anderson for dating a surfer.

He dug the knife in deeper when he told her surfers were dumber than hockey players even. Pam, at the time, was dating one called Kelly Slater.

For all the stereotypes (that carry some truth), surfing has produced its share of interesting people — Slater among them. Yet it remains a culture resistant to culture itself. We spend our days facing the horizon, backs turned to civilisation, and when we travel, we encounter culture only in the aseptic limbo of airport terminals, en route to some new shoreline, natural or artificial. It is not a lifestyle that encourages salons.

Dane Reynolds revealed his reactionary side early on in First Chapter, where the actual making of his first signature film with Quiksilver ended up giving it structure and narrative beyond the surfing parts. It also revealed his inquisitive side, already at odds with the industry that gave him a livelihood. Dane was never the standard surfer.

Volume 2 of Defective Units (peep Vol. 1 here), a series of B-roll for Former’s forthcoming film this summer, is titled B Team, which feels apt given Dane’s penchant for self-deprecation. Approached post-session, beer in hand, he commented on how badly it went: “Even with no competition, I still couldn’t pick a good one.” The footage tells a different story. We’re shocked some of these clips aren’t being held for Former’s actual Defect film, dropping in June 2026.

Alongside Dane are an ageless, in-form Dillon Perillo and Jake Kelley, each of whom brings a distinctly enjoyable approach to Puerto Rico’s turquoise walls.

“This was our second trip in a row trying to film for Defect,” explains Jake, “and ironically it was the second trip in a row that there has been a local pro contest on in the area. We really need to start checking that stuff out before we book surf trips [laughs].”

Aside from surfing that is probably too good to be relegated to Category B, there is a bonus plot involving light beer tasting. Beer in the Dark (working title) suggests the Former team are still searching for the Mick Fanning of lager knowledge.

Pardon the sermon above, but surfing still needs Dane, and if this is what’s in the back room at Former, we can only imagine what the storefront will look like.