Trick-wave specialist sets the bar

Rick Devereux

The south side of the San Clemente Pier is called Trestles and is a

highly touted surf location. The locals don’t want outsiders crowding

the waves, but the long sets attract professionals and amateurs

searching for perfect conditions.

When Newport Harbor High junior Danny Shea entered the water in

November in the South Coast League short board championship, he was

the lone outsider.

Shea advanced to the finals of the high school competition against

five surfers from San Clemente. Needless to say, the odds were

stacked against him.

Shea kept his cool and proceeded to use a strategy that earned him

the individual league title.

“He caught these medium-sized waves while the other guys were

fighting for the big waves,” Coach Scott Morlan said. “It was really

cool to watch. San Clemente is such a powerhouse, but Danny kept

getting wave after wave. He stayed cool and collected.”

Shea has been in pressure situations before.

The 16-year old won the National Scholastic Surfing Association

(NSSA) title last year. He has also won surfing airshow competitions

where the participants try to pull off the best trick on a wave.

Whether it’s strategic contests, no-holds-barred airshows or

early-morning sessions with his friends, Shea feels at home in the

ocean.

“I don’t feel any pressure when I surf,” Shea said. “When I go in

and come out of the water, everything is happy. You’re cleansed.”

Shea started surfing in the seventh grade. At first just with his

friends. When he was a freshman, Shea was competing for Mater Dei

High. He transferred to Newport Harbor his sophomore year and has

been a leader for the Sailors.

“He came in and shone like star,” Morlan said. “He’s a role model

for the rest of the kids on the team to emulate because he set the

bar for everyone else [by winning league].”

Shea has dedicated himself to surfing to such a degree he has

surpassed the friends that got him started in the sport five years

ago.

Now Shea surfs with Joey Head and Brightton “Bones” Brandenburger.

The trio wake up every morning before school to brave the waves.

“Sometimes it can get hard to wake up when you know the conditions

aren’t that good,” Head said. “But it’s still pretty easy because you

know you are going to go out and have fun with your friends.”

Head is the captain of the Newport Harbor surf team and said

Shea’s work ethic has been an example for the rest of the team.

“He’s always out there longer than other people,” Head said. “He

is always practicing and is a good influence on other people.”

The hard work has paid off in the form of a league title for Shea.

The individual championship is made even sweeter by the fact Newport

Harbor switched to the South Coast League from the South West

Conference a year ago.

“[The South West Conference] was pretty easy,” Head said. “Now

we’re in the toughest league around.”

Gone from the schedule are Calvary Chapel and Fountain Valley.

In are San Clemente, Dana Point and Laguna Beach -- three powerful

surfing schools.

“We were in a bad league, but now we’re in the top-ranked league,”

Shea said. “The league finals felt like a NSSA contest because the

level was so high.”