Dolphin Surf Craft was established in 1992 by John Holmes
who was later joined by his brother in law Norm Lewis. The
pair operated the business from a small factory in Burleigh
Heads with the idea to operate it as a lifestyle business
so they could both go surfing when it was good! What started
as a hobby for John and Norm after their retirement has now
blossomed into a successful company producing equipment and
exporting throughout the world. Sadly John passed away in
2003 during a downwind paddle to his home at Kawana Waters.
His legacy lives on within the company he founded.
Dolphin Surf Craft is still operating from the same premises
of its' humble beginnings, however it has expanded immensely.
Now occupying the entire block of factories at the Burleigh
Heads address. April 2004 was the start of a new partnership
with Zane Holmes (Johns' son) and Mark Williams joining Norm
within the company to preserve its' future and continue the
good reputation of the company. 2009 presented another new
beginning for Dolphin Surf Craft with the company once again
welcoming a new partnership. Norm Lewis is enjoying retirement
after 15 years with the company and after 5 successful years
Mark has also moved on. Zane, Australian Ironwoman Champion
Kristyl Smith and Simon Hunnybun who has 20 years experience
in the surf craft industry now run the company. Former World
& Australian Ski Champion Nick Crilly is the sales manager
and the production team at Dolphin Surf Craft also consists
of 15 specialised tradesmen, thus ensuring the finest quality
finished product that Dolphin is renowned for.
Dolphin is one of the largest manufacturers in Australia producing
custom handmade craft for the elite of Surf Life Saving competitors
and having a well earned reputation of quality and service
within the Surf Lifesaving movement in Australia, New Zealand,
Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Europe, UK & the USA.
With the experience we have from our management right through
to our production team, we are in a position to offer the
best quality product and service available on the market.
Here at Dolphin we’re looking forward to an exciting
future!
HOW IT'S ALL DONE
All of our boards are designed by Zane Holmes. Zane
has developed his knowledge of surf craft from what his father
John passed onto him throughout the years and combined it
with his 24 years of experience in the surf life saving environment.
Zane has honed his skills since his nipper days on a variety
of craft. As a keen surfer all his life and also the past
12 years as a professional ironman, the experience Zane can
pass on through his designs is second to none and he is passionate
about producing the best designed boards on the market for
all conditions.
To ensure they are always moving with technology Dolphin Surf
Craft purchased a state of the art shaping machine in 2009.
Every board shaped by the machine has been designed by Zane
using the latest 3D design program. Zane has developed over
30 customized shapes to suit paddlers from 40kg up to over
100kg. We don't just offer you a selection of 4 or 5 shapes
and we don't believe in copying what others are doing. Our
designs are original and produced under one roof where we
can have confidence in our product. Zane will select a shape
to suit every individual and if he has nothing suitable he
will design one specially for you. The benefit of producing
our boards with this technology is the accuracy and symmetry
in which each board is produced. We can fine tune your shape
to within the millimetre and reproduce this time and again.
Imagine finding that perfect board that you know can be reproduced
for you every time!
If you have a request for
a particular design feature or idea, Zane is always happy
to speak to you about it and you can come up with a customized
design just for you.
"I love designing new boards and trying new ideas. It
is the essence of the surfing culture, always striving for
that magic formula of performance and rideability in a board.
I'd love to help you find it too.
We are
very proud of our fleet of racing skis.
Since the first X1 single ski designed and produced by John
Holmes in 1992 every new model has been developed with our
own ideas and originality. There have been 8 models in the
progression of the design of our single ski since its' inception.
Over that time we have also introduced four models of the
double ski and also our Sportz ski. The current selection
of skis in our stable are thoroughbreds. Our current double
ski and brand new D1 single ski were both computer designed
with the assistance from a racing yacht designer and the expertise
of our extensive stable of athletes and staff.
