Richard Henry Deese (March 1, 1937 – February 24, 2024) lived a life shaped by the ocean.

Raised in Hermosa Beach in the 1950s, he became a pioneering surfboard shaper, studying and teaching in Hawaiʻi before opening the South Bay Surf Shop in the early 1960s. He is known for inventing the Tunnel Fin for longboards.

After moving to Ventura County in the late 1960s, Richard made Camarillo his home. Though he stepped away from shaping boards, his connection to the ocean never faded. He became an avid deep-sea fisherman and remained deeply respectful of the people and cultures devoted to ocean stewardship.

In October 2024, he was posthumously inducted into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame. That same spirit lives on through his daughter’s gift to MERITO, helping inspire young people to explore and protect the ocean he loved.