There’s been no shortage of media coverage about Dan Fischer and his project, One Last Wave.
His surfboards, and the names of loved one’s lost written on them, have gained the attention of people around the world. He’s been featured on ESPN, CNN, NPR, NBC, and countless other outlets. While this coverage described the impetus and impact of this project, we felt an aspect of Dan’s identity had been overlooked. We see Dan as more than a surfer; he’s also an artist.
Fischer’s boards are beautiful. Each board contains hundreds of names of people who have passed away, submitted by someone who loved them.
The names of each person are carefully and impeccably written. By Dan, by hand, one name at a time. He doesn’t have room for mistakes or misspellings; these boards are one of a kind, created for Dan by board shapers; artists in their own right. As Dan writes each name, he honors the person by focusing on the story behind it.
The level of attention this requires consumes him completely. In the moment, it’s all he can think about.
It was deeply gratifying to connect with Dan, capture his process, and speak directly with him about how his personal loss and crippling grief inspired the One Last Wave Project. Our filming with Dan culminated on a beautiful July evening between First and Second Beach in Middletown. Our team of photographers (myself included) made our way out along the jetty to film Dan taking one of his boards in the water. It was one of those shoots where everything lined up just right.
As the sun was setting, I was already mapping out this story.
