The Father's Day Gift for the Dad Who'd Rather Be in the Water
Father's Day is Sunday, June 21. Here's what we'd actually hand the dad who surfs — starting with a board that makes the whole thing easier.
There's a stretch of morning at Ala Moana, right before the wind comes up, when the water goes flat and glassy and the parking lot fills with guys who have been doing this for forty years. You can pick out the dads. They're the ones who packed the car the night before, who already had their coffee, who get in the water without making a big deal of it. For a lot of them, that hour is the one part of the week that belongs entirely to them.
If the dad in your life is one of those guys, you already know that buying him a gift is hard. He doesn't ask for much. So this year we put together a short list of things he'll actually use — boards, sun protection, and a few small extras — built around one idea: make his time in the water easier and let him stay out there longer.
One more thing before the list. We ship the same day. If you order by 5:30 in the afternoon, it goes out that night — which matters when Father's Day is only days away and you, like a lot of us, are running a little behind.
The board we'd give first: the Lost Big Rig Driver
The Big Rig is built around one simple idea: more foam under your chest means more waves caught. For a dad who doesn't get to surf every single day, that matters more than any fancy feature. The extra volume makes paddling easier and getting to your feet more forgiving, so he spends less energy fighting to catch a wave and more time actually riding one.
It comes from Matt Biolos, the shaper behind Lost, and this is the round-tail "Driver" version, which holds a smooth, steady line instead of feeling twitchy. That's a good thing when you haven't surfed in two weeks because life got busy. We have it in sizes from 5'10 all the way up to 6'10, so there's a fit for almost any height and weight.
Here's a simple way to think about size. The more a board floats, the easier it is to paddle and the more waves it catches — which is exactly what a busy dad needs. If he's tall or carries a little extra weight, lean toward the longer end of the range. And if you're not sure, that's completely fine: tell us his height and weight and we'll point you to the right one before you spend a dollar.
Best for: a dad who wants to catch more waves with less effort — without giving up control.Two more boards worth a look
If your dad already surfs well and wants one board that does a little of everything, look at the Sub Driver 3.0. It's built on Lost's proven Sub Driver shape, with a refined outline and a fuller nose that keep it driving through average, everyday waves — the regular days, not the perfect ones you see in videos. It's made for the surfer who refuses to drop down to a fish or hybrid just because conditions aren't ideal, which makes it the board he'll reach for most often.
When the surf is small and soft, the Pisces in Blacksheep Grey is the fun pick — an everyday fish that still turns tight in the pocket and holds shortboard-like control, so it never feels like a toy when a better wave rolls through. And the RNF Twinzer '96er is a modern take on Matt Biolos's classic RNF '96 fish, with an added fin cluster for extra grip and drive: loose and fast on playful days, with real bite when the waves get bigger. That one's available to pre-order now.
A lot of dads own exactly one board and surf it in everything, the good days and the bad. Giving him a second shape — something easy for the small, soft days — quietly doubles how often the surf is worth checking. That's a gift that keeps paying off all summer long.
Best for: an experienced dad who wants the right board for everyday and small-wave days.Smaller gifts that actually get used
Not every gift has to be a board. Some of the best ones are the simple, useful things a dad would never buy for himself but reaches for every single week.
A FCS Day Cover Bag keeps his board out of the sun and safe in the back of the truck. It's the kind of practical thing that quietly protects a much bigger investment.
For the dad who paddles out at dawn or surfs quieter spots on his own, the Sharkbanz 2 Wearable Shark Deterrent is a simple band he wears on his wrist or ankle. It uses magnet technology built to deter sharks — a bit of peace of mind that stays out of his way while he surfs.
For the long mornings in the water, sun protection is the easiest gift to get right. The RSC Real Sun Cover and Vertra mineral sunscreen — both a face stick and a lotion — use zinc to sit on top of the skin, which is what you want when you're out there for hours. A Hybrid Wet/Rashguard adds sun cover plus a little warmth for those early starts before the day heats up.
Round it out with the small stuff: Wax Fresh keeps his gear from smelling like a gym bag, and a Moskova Boxer Brief is the kind of nicer everyday basic that makes an easy, no-risk gift.
None of these will break the bank, and that's part of the point. You can pair one board with two or three of these, or build a whole gift out of just the small stuff. Either way, everything here is something he'll reach for — not something that ends up forgotten in a drawer.
Best for: stocking-stuffer style gifts that get used every week.Shop the Father’s Day gift guide →
Fins, shirts, and the rest
If he rides a fish or twin-fin shape, a fresh set of Futures Twin+1 fins changes how a board feels. The Rasta Honeycomb was built to match Dave Rastovich's smooth, flowing style, with a foil designed for easy rail-to-rail transitions. The Mayhem Evil twin is an exact replica of Lost's original twin fins from nearly 25 years ago — big-surface keels with plenty of drive. Either one is a small gift that makes a real difference under his feet.
On the simpler side, our Made in Hawaii tees — the white Nostalgic and the Aloha Days Hibiscus tie-dye, both 6.1-ounce cotton built to last — and the HSS x Aloha Days corduroy walkshorts (soft-washed, quick-drying, in pink, blue, green, or grey) are easy, local picks for the dad who isn't fussy about gear but likes something made close to home.
Best for: a finishing touch when the board or the gear is already sorted.
See this week's new arrivals →
Here's the honest truth about a gift like this. A board, or even a bar of wax, isn't really about the gear. It's a way of telling the dad in your life that you noticed the thing he loves — and that you want him to go take his time out there. That's worth more than most things you can wrap.