Thrills Come in Waves for Ventura’s Reynolds

If 14-year-old Dane Reynolds of Ventura High found a bottle in the ocean and a genie popped out granting him one wish, he’d surely choose something to do with surfing.

All he does is surf. All he thinks about is surfing. If he isn’t in the water catching waves, he’s probably watching a surfing video.

“Sometimes he doesn’t come in to eat,” said Reynolds’ mother, Blendi. “Surfing comes before anything. He just cannot get enough of it.”

There are high school basketball players labeled gym rats because they never want to leave the gym.

Reynolds is a surf rat. He wears a wet suit more often than pajamas. He spends more time in water than an alligator. He can’t remember a day in the past year he hasn’t gone surfing.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d be doing without surfing.”

Next week in San Clemente, Reynolds will compete in the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. national championships. He’ll be Southern California’s best hope to challenge the top surfers from Hawaii and Florida in age-group competition.

He’s the reigning Southwest Conference and Western Open Juniors champion.

Reynolds can thank his father, Tom, for creating the perfect surfing environment. Tom moved the family to Ventura in 1996 after spending six years in Bakersfield. They live two blocks from the beach. Dane doesn’t hesitate to wake up at 5:15 a.m. to hit the water by first light at 5:30.

Living in Bakersfield was not Tom’s first choice. He was managing an air-conditioning business and times were tough in Southern California during the early 1990s, forcing a relocation from Downey. With the nearest beach two hours away, Tom, Dane and his older brother, Brek, were in purgatory. Then came the move to Ventura.

“I kissed the sand,” Tom said.

Dane’s years in Bakersfield turned out to be a blessing in one aspect. He learned to skateboard and many of the moves he perfected can be used in surfing.

He’s probably the only freshman complaining about a growth spurt. He’s 5 feet 6, 115 pounds and doesn’t want to grow another inch.

“I don’t want to get tall,” he said.

Reynolds’ conclusion: More height isn’t good for surfing.

“In his mind, a lower center of gravity equates to a better surfer,” Tom said.

The top 13- to 15-year-old surfers in the nation will converge at Lower Trestles in San Clemente next weekend. Reynolds said the challenge is landing “the biggest wave, the longest wave, the cleanest wave” and performing your best.

“You have to try to do your most radical maneuvers without falling,” he said.

Reynolds isn’t afraid to experiment in difficult situations. Unlike friends who might throw their board after a poor effort, he rarely loses his composure.

“I just try to do better the next time,” he said.

Said Blendi: “Even if there’s hardly any waves, he still pushes it. He tries new things even if he falls 100 times.”

The most difficult assignment is trying to get the quiet, laid-back Reynolds to reveal his true feelings about surfing.

So, Dane, there must be an adrenaline rush riding a big wave?

“I guess.”

Surfing from 3 p.m. to sundown without a break must be tiring?

“I guess.”

Winning surfing competitions as a high school freshman must be a thrill?

“I guess.”

It won’t be long before he’s known as the Great Dane of surfing.

Some kids dream of becoming a major leaguer or playing in the NBA or NFL.

All Reynolds wants to do is hang out with the dolphins and seals while he passes them on his surfboard.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com