As a young boy, Dan Gavere got his feet wet by piloting the front of his father's canoe, down whitewater classics in Utah and Idaho. It wasn't long before he wanted to try running the rapids on his own and started whitewater kayaking.

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He honed his skills for kayaking on the Lochsa and Alberton Gorge before making the US National Freestyle kayaking team competing worldwide while filming Paddle Quest,  Kavu Day, and Dashboard Burrito.  After competing in the extreme river race at the Gorge Games, Dan discovered and fell in love with kiteboarding and decided to buy a home in the Wind Mecca of Hood River. 

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One chilly 2007 spring day when the wind was not blowing on the Columbia River Dan was introduced to stand Up paddling it only took a few strokes to get him hooked on the "new" sport, and it wasn't long before he was testing his limits from racing to rapids, and creating the industry's first " How to Video: The Ultimate Guide to Stand Up paddling. 

 

Together with Dan's passion for whitewater and Starboard Founder, Svein Rasmussen, vision of bringing innovation, quality, and inspiration to the world of SUP, they designed the world's first inflatable river SUP  "The Stream" a 9'6 x36 board for technical river fun, followed by the crossover 11'x34 for river running, and the 8'6x33 for river surfing. ​

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Married to a Canadian paddler, Dan splits his summer between his home in Hood River and her home on the Ottawa River. 

During the winter, you can find them and Orca, (their water-obsessed K9) at their home in Florida. 

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Dan Gavere has spent the last 20+ years as an athlete and instructor from Whitewater to Windsports.

He's taught numerous group lessons and private 1-on-1 coaching, offering race clinics at events and camps/retreats in some of his favorite places.