Growing up in Byron was amazing. I guess as a kid you don't realize how good you have things until you get older and are aware of the changes around you. It was a very local town with very few tourists back in the 80s and early 90s, so you could walk down the street and know pretty much everyone. That’s probably the biggest change these days but the vibe is still there and the beaches are still pristine so that’s the main thing! I believe I was about 2 years old when I started and I could catch my own waves by the age of 5. I started surfing the pass as all of us kids did because the long right handers were so good for learning and improving your skills. My career really started when I won the under 13s Australian titles at age 11 and then starred in a movie with Tom Carroll at age 13. From there it was full steam ahead and that’s all I really thought about, day in day out, was to be a professional surfer. I was 22 when I had Jayden and 25 when I had Symone, so yeah, a very young father that’s for sure. The 10 years traveling with my wife and kids was the best time of my life. Yes, the juggle was hard but it was so very rewarding. Kirstie my wife is the strongest woman I know and takes it all in her stride and we just did it. I paved the way for what was possible as a professional surfer I think. Surfing has given me everything. It’s given me a career that I loved and it was never a drag to go to work - if you can even call it work! It gave me a chance to travel and see the world with my family for 10 to 12 years. What more could I ask for? It’s like a religion for me and without it I would be lost, it’s my chance to escape reality and just be me. That’s what surfing is to me, it allows me to be me.

Danny