Sheeno was the guy everyone looked up to, and at 19, I was fortunate enough to be teamed up with him to promote West Australian surf products on the global stage.
On one infamous (for all the wrong reasons) European trip in 1989, whilst on a ferry travelling from the UK to France, Dave and I were sipping on a beer or two when somehow or other we were on the topic of suicide and how you would do it. Dave’s answer was an unusual one. “I’d jump on my board and just head out to sea. Just keep on going”.
This resonated with me for some reason and is something I remember from back in the day. In retrospect, it’s kind of what’s he’s done, but without the committing suicide part.
After that European tour, I went to college for a couple of years, but Dave kept on going, doing the tour for a few more years, until meeting his wife Tristan. Maintaining his life on the sea they purchased an old pearl lugging boat, the Wilie, running charters up north and down south on the West Oz coast. They started a family, but still managed their life aquatic. Owning various boats and embarking on various voyages, the longest time they’ve spent on land living in a house like a normal family is one year.
