FRK Testing: Jackson Dorian at The Wavegarden Lab

The Dorians 🤝 The Wavegarden Lab

Scroll below for a look into Jackson & Shane Dorian's (@jackson_dorian & @shanedorian) trip to the Basque Country in Spain to test their quiver of FRKs designed by Dan Mann (@dan__mann). Thanks to the Wavegarden (@wavegarden_official) for having them out to the pool and providing the incredible testing environment for these pure performance shapes.

About an hour and a half from Mundaka and Hossegor and 10 minutes from the Basque coastline sits Wavegarden's headquarters. This was the industry's first surf park dedicated to the development of artificial wave technologies, known as Wavegarden Lab.

With a focus on high-performance surfing, Wavegarden invites professional surfers like Shane and Jackson Dorian from Hawai'i to test waves and various parts of the technology and surfing experience from time to time.

Jackson Dorian, next generation Hawaiian and son of legendary Shane Dorian, will test every part of any wave you need. And he won't leave much left of it when he's done.

As a promising competitive surfer, Jackson's always carrying several boards with him on his travels. Here he's holding an FRK by Dan Mann, his go-to shortboard for competition.

A boned-out Indy straight air or an Indy shift? Either way, Jackson makes it look poetic.

Rob Machado calls Jackson an 'energizer bunny,' and if you were watching this session like photographer Ryan Miller was you'd agree (@badboyryry_).

Upside down. Fins out. Jackson's been doing it all since he was tiny, now about 19 years old.

Dad was on the scene too, the legendary big wave surfer and waterman, Shane Dorian. Riding an FRK Swallow in I-Bolic Technology by Dan Mann.

Fifty-two years young, and doing things on a surfboard many of us would only dream of.

Quiver change for Jackson onto his FRK Swallow in I-Bolic Technology, designed for waves 5' and under and the most versatile design in Dan Mann's FRK range.

The FRK Swallow model has quickly become a team favorite, always in rotation for the likes of Kevin Schulz, Brodi Sale, Sebastian Williams, Rob Kelly, Kai Martin, and more, loved for it's versatile performance in everyday conditions.

Is this 1992 filming for Momentum or 2024 in Spain? Shane Dorian enjoying Basque country.

From sixty foot Jaws to two foot artificial waves in a pool, Shane Dorian simply loves surfing.

Big wave pioneer, inventor of the pull vest/inflatable wetsuit system, World Championship Tour competitor, Mundaka champion, father, husband, hunter, and beyond. Your favorite surfer's favorite surfer, Shane Dorian from the Big Island.

Shane's son, Kelly's godson, and one of surfing's brightest up-and-coming talents, Jackson Dorian. It'll only be a matter of time before we'll see him on surfing's biggest stage.

The FRK in I-Bolic Technology by Dan Mann is Kelly Slater's pure performance shortboard. It's the shape Dan Mann designed when asked to create a board for Kelly for the first time. It's a traditional shortboard outline, roundtail, medium entry and exit rocker, medium to low performance rails, and double concave running through the back half of the board: the perfect craft for high-performance surfing.

The FRK+ in I-Bolic Technology by Dan Mann is a squash tail version of the FRK, enhanced for everyday conditions. Meant to be ridden an inch or so shorter than the original FRK, it has all the on-wave benefits of the original FRK with a touch more release through turns that comes from the squash tail and minor adjustments to the bottom contours.

The FRK Swallow in I-Bolic Technology by Dan Mann was crafted to unlock performance in waves 5' and under, and to be more versatile in its performance characteristics than any other FRK shape that came before it. With better volume distribution between the surfer's stance and an adjusted rocker curve, the FRK Swallow excels at creating speed in flat, sticky sections, without sacrificing on-rail performance. Designed to be ridden 2" shorter than the FRK and 1" shorter than the FRK+.

Written by Peter Shu