Daniel M. Bendiksen died on March 26 at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica after a four-year battle with cancer. He was 63. A retired Santa Monica Fire Department captain, Bendiksen had lived on Broad Beach with his wife, Rudi, since 1985.
Bendiksen was born on Feb. 15, 1941. In 1953, he began surfing, and shaped his first board in 1954. With some technical advice from Dale Velzy, Bendiksen began a career as an unrenowned pioneer of longboard shaping. In 1963, he began shaping and sanding boards for Bing Copeland. He married Rudi in 1964.
Bendiksen began a new career as a firefighter with the city of Santa Monica in 1974. He was promoted to fire captain in 1979. The California State Firefighters Association awarded Bendiksen with the Medal of Valor in 1992 for rescuing a distraught citizen. Bendiksen retired from firefighting in December 2001.
During the time of his second career, Bendiksen still continued with his surfboard making. He creating boards under his own trademark, “Bendiksen Surfboards of Malibu.” Bendiksen also enjoyed diving, fishing and snow skiing.
Bendiksen is survived by his mother, Berneta, his wife, Rudi, and hundreds of loving friends.
A ceremony honoring Bendiksen will take place at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on April 12 at 1 p.m. The address is 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Malibu Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation at 715 Broadway, Suite 320, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Donations may also be sent to the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation at 3600 Oceanview Blvd., Glendale, CA 91208.