The end of the 2023 world tour, at Canaries beast El Frontón, was truly intense and left everybody’s nerves on edge. Tanner McDaniel, who had lost early in the event, witnessed the quarterfinal Pierre performance from the athlete’s area, his sole rival for the world title. The young Hawaiian held back his emotions until the moment the buzzer sounded and became world champion for the first time, taking the title to Hawaii 11 years later. It’s time to know what’s the next chapter for the 25 years old bodyboarder.
Congrats on the world title, champ. Here’s a sarcastic one to start: Are you a happier person now that you’re a part of the world champions hall of fame? Was that a longtime goal for you?
Tanner McDaniel: Thanks! This was something that I have been chasing after for nearly half of my life so to have finally achieved it has to be up there with the best feelings ever. To answer your question truthfully and bluntly, no I don’t think it has necessarily made me a “happier person”. I don’t feel like I have changed all that much from it. I’m immensely satisfied to have accomplished something I’ve spent so much time working for and dreaming about. Achieving a lifelong goal comes with an incredible high like no other, but it did come with a rather startling low as well. The months since my win have been a real rollercoaster of emotions. It forced me to look at the next chapter for myself and I am really excited about where things are heading!
“I’m immensely satisfied to have accomplished something I’ve spent so much time working for and dreaming about”
For real… Do you remember when you felt the urge for the first time, that inner fire, that you wanted to be a world champion?
TMD: I can recall two moments that helped spark the fire for me. The first was the 2011 World Title showdown at Fronton. 2011 was the first year that I learned of competitive bodyboarding and began tuning in to watch the live streams of the events. I think back to staying up late at night watching PLC win his first world title against Jeff Hubbard, who at the time were my two favorite bodyboarders (still are actually). That really opened my eyes to what you can achieve within bodyboarding.
The second would be the 2012 Pipeline Pro. Watching that event unfold in person was absolutely mind boggling. I couldn’t fathom waves like that at the time. Being a part of that event felt like a dream come true, I got to surf a heat out at Pipe, and one of the riders I looked up to most in the world won the event. Being on the beach and getting to celebrate Jeff’s victory made me want more than anything to be right where he was at that moment.
“(…) staying up late at night watching PLC win his first world title against Jeff Hubbard. That really opened my eyes to what you can achieve within bodyboarding”
Strange thing. You went from conquering your 1st world title to a shocking no show in the 2024 world tour. The community buzz points 3 main reasons: Lack of support from sponsors, the Arica unpaid prize money episode and/or the unattractive competitive model. Please man, enlighten us.
TMD: I had almost made up my mind about taking 2024 off at the start of last year’s tour. I needed a break from the stress of competition, but I wanted to give the tour another shot at 100%. I had unknowingly been putting so much pressure on myself to win that I started to break down at the end there. From the Arica final day in June until the Fronton event in October I was anxious 24/7. If anyone watched the final day at Fronton you could see I was barely holding it together. When the PLC vs Robin Legros heat was in the water I remember thinking to myself: “I don’t think I can physically go through this again”.
I have been told by people my whole career that I would win one day. People would say it so matter of fact, like it was already a done deal. You can’t know that for sure. There’s nothing certain about competition when at the end of the heat you’re just at the mercy of Mother Nature. The need to get away from the anxiety of competition was the main reason for my break from the tour, but the reasons you listed certainly helped make my decision clearer. I hope the World Tour can really find its footing and of course I want competitive bodyboarding to grow worldwide. I’m looking forward to watching the events this year and cheering on my friends at each stop.
“The need to get away from the anxiety of competition was the main reason for my break from the tour, but the reasons you listed certainly helped make my decision clearer”
Meanwhile, a couple weeks or so ago, your name was confirmed for the Shark Island Challenge! Is that the kind of competition you’re now fired at?
TMD: I am honored to have received an invite for the event. The Shark Island Challenge is such an important part of Bodyboarding. I have been meaning to get back to Australia for some time now and it worked out really well that I will be there for the first part of the waiting period. Competing in an event that is free of world title implications is also especially appealing. I hope that the waves are pumping and we get to put on a show for everyone!
“Competing in an event that is free of world title implications is also especially appealing”
When your off competitive season was announced, you left the door open for future projects, particularly in the content department (videos, social media and stuff). Can you give us a preview of what you’re about to unleash?
TMD: Well, I am planning on heading to Australia for a good chunk of time this year so you can certainly expect to see something come from that. Aside from that, I’m really looking forward to doing some free surf trips to new waves. Looking forward to hitting new waves where I can do my best riding and hopefully document it along the way to share with everyone. I just got back from a 5 day strike mission to Mexico, the waves were super fun and it was really cool to explore a new area down there.
“Looking forward to hitting new waves where I can do my best riding and hopefully document it along the way to share with everyone”
You’re currently living in California. What’s your routine like out there? What spots do you usually look for a sesh and who are your bodyboarding mates?
TMD: My life around here revolves around the beach still. It’s pretty simple really. I try to be on it and get in the water as much as I can. Summer is awesome having The Wedge not far from where I live and there’s plenty of other fun waves around to keep you in the water in the meantime. The overall wave quality and consistency is nowhere near the same as Hawaii, but a result of that is I find myself relishing in the good days even more. I have been on a bit more of a gym routine these days which has been a great way to keep the body moving and exerting myself outside of the water.
The crew around here is so good! I’m usually chasing waves with the Breaking Even TV squad, Craig Whetter, Tristan Ray, and Alex Perez. Summer is all about Wedge, it’s the wave with the most juice around here. It’s pretty consistent and it can be a rather tricky wave to navigate so it helps keep you sharp. The rest of the time we are usually down at Salt Creek. It picks up almost any kind of swell, so it’s always a safe bet to head there when other spots aren’t doing it.
“Summer is awesome having The Wedge not far from where I live and there’s plenty of other fun waves around to keep you in the water in the meantime”
Name the fiercest bodyboarder in the world and an upcoming talent from California?
TMD: You would be hard pressed to find a bodyboarder who doesn’t say Tristan Roberts at the moment. He’s a damn force to be reckoned with. We linked up on that strike mission to Mexico I just got back from, and let me tell you, he was on a tear down there.
Lincoln Presley has been leading the charge for the groms around here for a while now. His riding has progressed a lot since I’ve known him, he’s super technical and fun to watch. Plus he seems to have his head screwed on straight. Check him out.
“Something that Mike instilled in me really early on was to always strive for creativity and innovation. He has really encouraged me to think of new ways to approach waves and maneuvers”
Mike Stewart was your original mentor from a young age and now, somehow, we get the sense the full circle is complete. Does this type of mentor-pupil relationship continue to exist? Does Mike still give you tips today? How is the relationship between you two?
TMD: Having Mike in my corner all these years has been such a blessing. He took me under his wing when I was really young and was super eager to share his knowledge with me. To be honest, I think I was a little frustrating for him to deal with at times! Hahaha! Mike really wants to share all the knowledge he has, but I think I needed to learn some things on my own. With that being said, it was such an important thing for me to know that when I wanted to go to him for advice he would always be there.
Something that Mike instilled in me really early on was to always strive for creativity and innovation. He has really encouraged me to think of new ways to approach waves and maneuvers. Riding aside, he also pushes me to think of ways to improve the gear I use. Over the years we have really dialed in products and I always feel confident with the board that’s under me and the other accessories I use. As happy as I am with my current quiver, we’re always looking to improve on things so you can always expect to see new things coming from us.
Thank you for your time and the opportunity, T. Stay strong.
Photos by @alanfav3la @jaredanthonybrown @frontonking @ohdagyo @chandlerpattersonphoto @swimreaper__ @pablojimenez_photo @alex.perezz