Dale Dobson is among the greatest athletes of our time. Any surfer who ever saw him ride during his two primes: the first lasting over a decade from the mid-1960s through the late ’70s; the second beginning circa 1980 until circa 2025, when he his numerous injuries kept him landlocked.
I observed his second reign, when, in his mid-40s he ruled the longboard renaissance like nobody before or since. He had a magic on waves from 1 to 10 feet, and a comfort in the ocean that was far less evident on land, unless he was riding a skateboard.
It doesn’t seem possible that Dale is gone. I mean, he was so strong and had such great endurance, always reinventing himself and earning a second professional career at an age when most surfers hang up the waves for the checkers board.
Dale was a famous surfer — famous, but not as famous as he should have been. I first heard of him in the mid-60s when he was ruling La Jolla Shores, switching stance from regular foot (left foot forward to goofyfoot (the opposite) as easily as the average surfer walks down a sidewalk.
His switch stance was so effortless that I am still uncertain if his natural stance was regular or goofyfoot. While brilliant with either foot forward, Dale was not the first switch footer from La Jolla. The original Mr. Pipeline, the late great Butch Van Artsdalen, had that move wired on waves from 2 to 20 feet.
While Dale may have learned a trick or two from Van Artsdalen, his approach to wave riding appears to be basically original. There was something unique in the way he stood tall in the tube, heavy water threatening to collapse on him while he stood, exerting no more energy than someone would in rolling up their sleeve to check their watch.
While he is known for his tube riding, his nose riding and hard turns were also brilliantly executed. I never saw him surf in the early ’60s but imagine he stood out even then. Later, when boards dropped from 10 to 6 feet, Dale was among the top surfers in the U.S.
I recall paddling out and seeing Dale powerfully stroking into a 3-foot wave. After an effortless rise to his feet, he ran to the nose, hung five and did something I had never seen before or since. While keeping his foot planted firmly on the tip, Dale leaned back and did a turn from that position and was soon racing down the line in a stealthy “cheater five.”
Dale was the man to beat at every longboard contest from San Miguel in Baja to Central California’s crown jewel, Steamer Lane. From chunky beach breaks to board-snapping slabs, he was our leader.
As Dale and I became friends, we conversed mainly on his board and fin designs, and his winning strategies for surf contests. He never won a world title, but most of us who knew him considered him a world champion. On his day, he was the best there was. And while he could be aggressive in the lineup, he was a humble gentleman for the most part, approachable to everyone, even an average surfer like me.
Dale Dobson died in February 2025 at age 78. His ashes were paddled out at Cardiff Reef this past Sunday, April 26. On hand were the great love of his life, Sandi Sarver, two of his greatest competitors, former surfing champion Peter Townend and longboard genius David Nuuhiwa, and a group of friends from up and down the California Coast.
