‘Welcome to the Weirdness’: Hanging with One of Surfing’s More Earnest Experimentalists

Donald Brink’s opening monologue could be part philosophy, part Star Trek intro. It’s as good a place as any to begin the deep dive into the unique ethos of the renowned surfboard shaper. 

“I enjoy challenging hydodynamic principles and things that aren’t supposed to work to find new ground,” he said. “To search for new joys and perhaps find things that open up new opportunities. And it looks weird, but to me it’s a calculated and balanced degree of elements.”

Vissla’s mantra of “creators and innovators” is an apt description of Donald. Born in South Africa and now residing/working/crafting in San Clemente, California, Donald has developed a reputation as one of surfing’s singular craftsmen. He shapes entirely by hand, making thoughtful and thought-provoking custom surfboards. When Vissla began dropping profile videos featuring the shapers they’re invested in, I knew Donald’s would be the most original, both in terms of thoughts and boards. It holds up on both accounts. 

In any industry, finding the extremes is how products or operations evolve. Push something to its limit, the pendulum eventually swings back, and we’re all better for it. That’s a messy truth about the evolution of surfboard design: someone has to color outside the lines, or we’d all be riding the same stuff. Donald is the kind of shaper who is unafraid to explore new terrain, no matter how strange it may look.

In the video above, Donald shuffles through his eccentric quiver, which ranges from moderately alternative to downright extreme. Bodyboarding sleds, an elf shoe, a Q-tip, deeply asymmetrical designs, it’s trippy stuff.

“What’s funny is that some boards look a certain way and (there’s) a perception of how they would ride,” he said. “This board couldn’t be further removed from how it looks to how it rides. You do not remember what you’re surfing when you ride this board. To me, that’s important. Ride the wave, not the board. At least, that’s the common theme I’m after.”

Sure, some pieces look more akin to fine art sculptures than wave-riding shapes, but therein lies the beauty of Donald. It’s all for fun. Trying, feeling, learning. He has his principles, to be sure. He’s not a fan of wide surfboards, for a start. But he’s not afraid to admit when he’s wrong. “There’s many mistakes,” he said. “A lot of things don’t work. You learn from those, and perhaps it’s easy to learn from the things that don’t work.”

Let's end this synopsis with Donald's analysis of a pink asym that surprised even himself in the best possible way. “This board wasn’t supposed to work,” he said. “But I had to try it. I had to explore. Now I’ve got to keep going.”