The life of a professional windsurfer is a lucrative one, not many make it right to the top and are able to make a living just from competing. The dream for many is to live in a windsurfing mecca, work in an enjoyable job that offers progression as well as the much needed time on the water and flexibility. Now Boardseeker catches up with one man who has found a fantastic balance, with his own company on Maui Dan Ellis windsurfs, works and generally loves life. 

All images credited to Darrell Wong and North Sails.

Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com

Name: Dan Ellis

Sail number: K52

Disciplines: Slalom/wave

Best results: 2008 IFCA Slalom World Champion, 5 times UK Champion, Asian tour Champion. 2012 Maui Race series unbeaten in the open men’s division, Top 10 in both the PWA and Speed World Cup rankings for a few years!

Born: in London!

Current residence: Paia, Maui

Occupation: I help run a custom wood work and design company Pacific Millworks here on Maui. We make some of the coolest kitchens, bathrooms and doors in the world, amoungst other things. You can check us out at Pacificmill.com. I also test with North Sails, helping on the Warp race sails.

Oh boy a long time. I did my 1^st competition in 1989! My oldest trophy names me as youngest entrant at age 11.

I want to win the Maui race series pro division and help keep North at the front of the race sail pack by pushing forward with development.

Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com

How did you progress into the career you are now in? And how do you balance this to get maximum time on the water?

I’ve always liked designing and making things. From a really young age I loved helping my Dad and at school CDT and Art were my favourite subjects. In 2003 I got a degree in Design for Production from the University of Brighton and continued this path.

I then raced on the PWA tour for 7 years. Once I stopped full time competing in 2010 I put my effort 110% back into designing and woodworking and just windsurfed when there was time.

That’s the great thing about being in Maui. I drive past Ho’okipa twice a day and if it’s good I can normally sneak in a quick session, even if I’m really busy with work. Now that I’m doing more testing with North I just have to balance my time to I get plenty of sailing in and still keep my clients happy! We have a saying “Maui Midnight” which is about 8pm, you get up early and try and cram as much as possible into the daylight hours.

Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com

What would your advice be to someone looking to get into a similar career?

If you love working with your hands and using your brain then go for it, but whatever you do give it everything you’ve got. Good things come to those who work hard, it just makes it easier if you can have fun while doing it.

I’ve been doing more and more testing with North the last couple of years and it’s really interesting to be part of the team. Being involved with Kai Hopf and Peter Slate on the development really opened my eye’s to the amount of skill and effort that goes into making the best sails and it’s a pleasure to be part of it. As amazing as a good wave at Ho’okipa is, it’s still hard to beat a maxed out run on a slalom board hanging on for dear life and trying to inch out in front of your test partner. I’ve also been putting Mean Line fins and Bluesmiths clothing through their paces. There’s no point having a great sail in your hands if you don’t have a good fin under your feet and if you’re spending hours on the water ordinary board shorts just don’t cut it!

Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis. Image credit www.darrellwong.com Dan Ellis

What are the best 5 things about your lifestyle?

1: I get to wake up every morning with the girl of my dreams, who also happens to be my wife.

2: I’m building a career for myself that I love doing and has endless possibilities.

3: Testing for North keeps me windsurfing competitively, motivated to get better and push the limits.

4: I live and work 5 mins from Ho’okipa and get to sail with the best guy’s in the world and dream of getting the perfect wave ride!

5: on the few days a year there’s no wind I get to throw a paddle board around on some pretty decent waves.

Windsurfing is all about imagery; capturing the perfect moment on the water is something truly special. In this new series Boardseeker catches up with a few of the World’s top windsurfing photographers as they share their favourite shots and explain the stories behind them.

Second up is Maui based Darrell Wong.

All images © Darrell Wong.

Naish Noseride

1988

Robby Naish at Diamond Head. This is my all time favorite photo. To get Robby doing a nose ride was cool enough, but to have it as a “speed blur” was unreal. I’ve had so many people over the years comment on how cool this shot is. You can’t do this anymore because the mast track is farther back now.

Kai Katchadourian

1999

At Hookipa. Okay… this is my second favorite photo of all time. I am please to say this photo redefined my career in windsurfing. This was my first experiment at shooting these from a helicopter in waves. And to my surprise… it worked! 99% of the credit goes to the pilot; Peter Voorhes. As they say in photography… 99% is just being there. And Peter put me in the perfect position every time, with the smoothest helicopter tracking.

Naish Peahi

2006

Robby Naish at Peahi (Jaws). Shooting at Peahi from the jetski is a lot of work… and luck. First you have to get out there… then you have to be safe… then you have to get the shot. I give credit to every Jaws photo I’ve shot to my boat partner and driver; Keith Baxter (Connor Baxter’s Dad). He is the most knowledgeable and experienced driver out there. We’ve shot Peahi since day one, and this is one of my favorites. It’s not the biggest, or scariest, but shows the power of Peahi. And if you think Robby’s only doing a “pussy” turn on the shoulder… the wave is actually bending towards him in the foreground and the wind is whipping at 25+ mph up the face!

7 year old Camilla Tasetti and windsurf instructor Eva Enriquez.

Kanaha, Maui; Hawaii. April 2006.

I love this photo because it shows the first time joy of windsurfing with your friend. And isn’t this what it’s all about… windsurfing with your friends? I’m disappointed that none of the magazines used this photo.

U.S. F1 Grand Prix. Phoenix, Arizona.

Ayrton Senna. 1991

I have been a fan of Formula 1 racing since I was a kid. Ayrton Senna was and still is my favorite driver. This was my first F1 race, and I was so stoked to get a sharp “speed” shot of him. Besides my favorite windsurf photos of Robby and Kai, I’d have to say this is my favorite sports photo.

Check out previous week’s intallments:

• Dani Miquel photography