Date of birth: January 8th 2002

Place of birth: Ghent, Belgium

Currently living in: Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Stance: Regular

Sponsored by: HURLEY, PUKAS surfboards, PURECBD and DAKINE

My name is Dean Vandewalle, but everyone calls me Deano. On January 8th 2002, I was born in Ghent, Belgium. I am the youngest of four siblings and also the only boy. My dad taught me and my three sisters, Morane, Allison and Malia, how to surf.

Before my 7th birthday, my family and I packed up our summer clothes and moved to sunny Costa Rica. We already visited the country when I was only a few months old. I was barely speaking my firsts words and I was already in and around the ocean. With my dad spending all his free time in the sea, it was only natural that I followed his footsteps. Even before I was born, my mom surfed with me in her belly. For as long as I can remember, the beach and the ocean were always a big part of my life.

The first time I was on a surfboard, I was only two years old. My dad took me out, pushed me into small, little waves, and as a team, I got better with every wave. It was on my 9th birthday that I got my very own surfboard and finally surfed all by myself. That was also when I started to compete and only a couple months later, I won my first contest of the Costa Rican National Circuito. From that moment on, I surfed everywhere and anything I could. From Costa Rica to France, I competed with the best in my category. There was only one problem: my poor eyesight. That was when my dad made custom prescription glasses to wear in the water, which helped me so much more with my surfing career.

In the summer of 2016 I finally could start using contatcs and that has been a major step forwards . 

I have a great group of friends who I surf with almost everyday at our local spots in Tamarindo, Langosta, Playa Negra etc. I am really lucky to be able to take trips to great waves in Pavones, The Caribbean, Ollies point, Witches Rock etc. 

I am really stoked to be part of the Hurley  team . Hurley is a global leading surf brand and supports some of my heroes Julian Wilson, Kolohe Andino, Filipe Toledo and Carissa Moore. 

Thanks to the Pukas and Axel Lorentz for shaping me sick boards and to PureCbd and Dakine for your support . 

Special thanks to my sister Malia for writing this.