Dakine Watches

In 1979, Rob Kaplan began manufacturing the DaKine Leash in Haiku, Maui, Hawaii. The DaKine surf leash was designed for rigorous Hawaiian conditions and set the standard for innovative design and high quality. After this innovative breakthrough, DaKine started to build on its reputation by building technical surfing and windsurfing accessories, such as in 1980, when pro windsurfers asked Rob to help build footstraps for their new wave boards. Throughout the early 1980s, DaKine developed the 1st adjustable footstrap, seat harness, and waist harness, defining the company as the leading innovator in technical windsurfing accessories. DaKine moved their manufacturing and operations to Hood River, OR in 1986; besides being a popular windsurfing location on the mainland, it