"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." Steve Prefontaine

When I think of Atlantic City, N.J., I think of casinos, not a place capable of producing one of America's most gifted surfers. It is surprising that Dean Randazzo's explosive surfing style was groomed in such an unlikely place. In 1996 he went as far as qualifying for surfing's version of the big leagues, the W.C.T. Unfortunately, due to the combination of some bad luck and insufficient funds Randazzo's tenure on the CT lasted only one year.

Despite not ever really having the support he needs to get around, he's the last guy to let something like that stand in his way. This year Dean has already won three pro contests, including the Rusty C5 challenge at Black's Beach where he pocketed a cool $10,000. To do an entire year of the qualifying tour, without having to sleep in your board bag under the contest scaffolding, costs around $20,000.

Pacific Drive

Whether or not he ever finds the finds the backing he needs, no one can accuse Dean Randazzo of giving anything less than his best.

Growing up in New Jersey, did you ever think you would become a pro surfer?
I wanted to. I tried my hardest. It's funny, when I was like 10, one of the first surfing magazines I was looking through there was this thing in the back on the A.S.P. It had the address and phone number and everything on it so I cut it out and kept it. I used to play baseball when I was a kid. I wanted to be a pro baseball player for a while, so I tried really hard at that. I started surfing and slowly it took over and after about fourteen I didn't play baseball anymore.

Did you feel like you didn't have a chance since there hasn't ever really been a successful pro surfer who has come out of Jersey?
There has been a couple of guys, like Steve Dwyer, but no one's really had any success. When people think of surfing on the East Coast they think of Florida, not really New Jersey. There's Wes Laine from Virginia. But that's totally different from where I'm from.

Isn't it a lot colder where you're from?
Yeah it's colder. It was hard, I knew I had to get outta there when I got the chance. Summertime gets really warm there. I think New Jersey has one of the biggest climate changes of anywhere. It goes from like 90-100 degrees average and humid in the summer time, the water is like 75-78, even 80.

In the winter the water gets down to like 32 and you can have wind chills like minus zero with snow on the beach. It goes through every extreme. It's just really hard there to excel in surfing. You can't with all that (wetsuit) gear on. You need warmth. That's why I think Florida guys do better. When you wear all that stuff you're just going through the motions. You're not progressing at all really.

The other day I met this surfer from New Jersey who said that when you made it onto the W.C.T. all the surfers from Jersey were really proud.
(laughs) That's cool. The thing about the East Coast is you don't have waves everyday so there's so much electricity when the swells come, people get so amped to go surf. You're just like, get me out there! Here, it's kinda like if it's five feet, you're like, ah, do I want to surf today? You know? You can surf pretty much everyday here so you get kinda spoiled. It's hard to get as amped as you do back there.

So how was that year you were on the WCT?
Um it was probably one of the best years of my life. It was great. When you're on the CT you're treated in a whole different manner. They treat you like a professional, you know? When you're doing the WQS you're kinda likeyou're treated like sh*t (laughs). Compared to the CT, when you're at the contest and you're around the contests everyone treats you like you're a professional. It was a really good experience to surf against guys who I would see in magazines growing up and umactually beat some of 'em.

That's cool. It seems like your whole career you've pretty much concentrated on contests. I think I remember you saying once that you had never been on photo trip in your life.
Yeah, I haven't really. I think it's because I haven't really had too many sponsorships. If you have a sponsor they're gonna send you on a photo trip. And for me I've never really had any.

That's true you've pretty much had to support yourself to get around to all the contests.
The year I qualified (for the W.C.T.), I was only making five hundred bucks a month from all my sponsors. I don't even know how I did it. Like half way through the year I lost early in the first twelve contests I was in until I went to South Africa and I got like a 800 point result. I got a 17th I think. From there on I don't know how I got around, it seemed like I made just enough prize money each place I went to get me to the next place. I'd sell a couple of surfboards. It was really hard. It was a force beyond me that was I getting around (laughs).

Did you ever feel like throwing in the towel, due to the frustrations of not have the support that other surfers have?
Yeah, but I don't know. It's always been that way for me. My driving force was to make the WCT then I couldn't be denied, that I would find a sponsor. It seems like a lot of these companies didn't wanna sponsor someone from New Jersey. They're like; no one from New Jersey can surf. And I thought if I made the WCT it would all change. But, I couldn't find a sponsor when I made the WCT either (laughs).

That sucks. It seems like most people would just give up. You've won three contests this year already and seem to be on a mission. What makes you so motivated?
I'm not sure. I signed with Lost surfboards last year. It took me a little while but lately I've been getting some really good boards. My boards are really working good.

You said you were planning on doing the contest at Nias (Indonesia) that's coming up?
Yeah, I'm planning on going to Nias and do some serious surfing and do the competition. Hopefully get on a boat and get barreled. I need to get barreled (both laugh).