Dive N Surf Honors D-Man With a Festival

Saturday was a classic Southern California summer day, and so it was fitting that 1,500 people came to Redondo Beach to Dive N Surf's D-Man Festival to remember the life of Darren "D-Man" Marsee, a former employee at the shop who died from cancer in 2005.

Ron Meistrell and his family run Dive N Surf and they have put their heart and soul into making the D-Man Festival a special event for the surf community for the last five years. All of the money raised at the event goes to the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society.

"It was an unbelievable day. Darren was a part of my family, a great employee and he has made us all look at life in a different way," Meistrell said.

The list of vendors that donated their time and merchandise Saturday included all of the big names in the surf industry including Hurley, Roxy, Billabong, Reef, Electric, Volcom, Quiksilver, Hippy Tree, Spy, Fox, Nixon, Lost and Von Zipper.

The bands Special C, Midnight Lamp, Too Rude and Tomorrows Bad Seeds provided the music. All are regulars at the D-Man Festival and donate their time for the cause. 

The city, Meistrell said, also was instrumental.

"To make this work, it starts with the city and all of the volunteers,'' he said. ''The city of Redondo Beach has been awesome, and they are doing a better job than ever for Dive N Surf. I feel my tax dollars are working.

"There are so many hours involved and it's all for charity. These are the things we need to do in the South Bay to support good causes.''

Marsee was a graduate of Redondo Union High School and a close friend of Tracey Meistrell and most of the employees at Dive N Surf.

"He was one of my best friends, everyone loved him and everyone has supported the D-Man," Tracey Meistrell said.  "A lot of the bands knew Darren. We hung out with the guys from Tomorrows Bad Seeds. They all loved him. He was our bro and they all come out to support him at the D-Man." 

The festival organizers aim to create a carnival atmosphere, with vendor booths offering games and prizes. 

"Our vendors really give us great support,'' Tracey Meistrell said. ''When it comes to something like this, a great event for a good cause, they don't hesitate. They are right there with us and support us to the max. All of the companies are super stoked and glad they participated and they are already making plans for next year."

Blake Trippy, one of Dive N Surf's managers, met Marsee as freshman at Redondo Union.

"We met in zero period surf class during our freshman year,'' he said. ''We lived together in Santa Barbara after we graduated and went to Europe for a few months."

Friend Jason Flentyi, lead singer of Midnight Lamp, joined Trippy and Marsee on that Europe trip. A lot of the band's song lyrics come from inside jokes about the good old times with Marsee, Trippy said.

So what would Marsee have to say about the festival held in his honor?

"He would be super proud of how many people turned out for the event," Trippy said. "He would be stoked to see how big the party is, and it's sad that he couldn't be here. The last two years we have had a big crowd. It's run super smoothly and it's almost getting too big, like we need a bigger venue for it.''