Board Meetings: Dominator Pro with Sebastian Williams and Dan Mann

What happens when the surfer and shaper compare board notes?

Many surfers can tell you what a board feels like, but very few can explain why. Press play above to watch a conversation between free surfer and Mexican National Team competitor, Sebastian Williams (@sebastianwilliams1), and world-class shaper and winner of Stab In The Dark X, Dan Mann (@dan_mann), discussing the Dominator Pro in Helium Technology in this Board Meetings conversation.

While on a trip to Surf Ranch in Lemoore, CA, Sebastian shares clips from home surfing Barra de la Cruz on his stock 5'10" (× 19 ½" × 2 ½" × 30.1L) Dominator Pro in Helium Technology and describes what he's feeling under his feet while Dan breaks down the design decisions that create those sensations, with some bonus footage from their sessions in the wave basin during their trip.

The result? A rare look inside the relationship between surfer and shaper, and why the Dominator Pro has become one of Seb's favorite boards.

The Dominator Pro in Helium Technology is the shortboard that fans of the Dominator had been asking Dan to build for years, designed to go toe-to-toe with your favorite shortboard. This new shape is designed for surfers who have either progressed their skill set and want a more performance version of the Dominator 2.0, or just want a more refined version of the Dominator 2.0 for surf trips, or good days at home.

The rocker on the Dominator Pro is true to the style of rocker on the original Dominator, but with a moderate increase in curve from nose to tail. The bottom contour's concave configuration is a near match of the Dominator 2.0's concave, with slightly more single concave under the front foot in the Dominator Pro, flowing into a double barrel concave through the fins that transitions to a vee out the tip of the tail.

The Dominator Pro is a true performance all rounder suited to waves thigh high and above, all the way up into overhead and hollow surf, but does work well in a variety of conditions. It really comes alive in the chest-high and above range, and wants to sit tight in the pocket and be in punchy waves with some curve to them.

Pair the Firewire Velox Fin Set for the best performance. Many of our riders love it as a Thruster, Dan prefers the Quad configuration.