Imagine Surf Blog

Goodby to a dear friend

July 15, 2011 at 4:14 pm (Uncategorized)

Let me tell you about an amazing person I know called Daniele Tira. A guy so fun, and energetic and sincere, that it was instantly contagious. Dani would walk into a room, and everyone would light up. His energy, and absolute sincerity in everything he did, and more importantly, in the way he interacted with those about him was as genuine as can be.

Dani was one of the best kayakers I’ve ever known. He was not interested in competition, or records. He just wanted to go kayaking, and he was very good at it. He was one of those paddlers that instilled confidence in the group he was with. He was always the first to run a hard rapid, so that he could set up safety for everyone else. No matter who you were, Dani would watch over you on the water, and off. He was the first person to start to load the boats, and the first to begin to make dinner after a hard day. Between stirring the pasta, and setting up camp, he’d use his talents as a physical therapist to help the other members of the team with their physical ailments. His energy was boundless, and matchless.

I choose my friends not by the adventures we have, but how those adventures unfold. With Dani, they always went well. No matter how bad things got, he was always positive and made it better. No matter how good they were going, he still made it even better.

Dani’s only flaw was that he wanted nothing from you in return. All his energy and help was free. There was never any expected return, so you always felt like you owed him something. You didn’t. All he wanted was to help those around him and make their lives better.

He did just that.

Daniele will in more than one sense always be here, from the lessons we learned from him, to the improvement to all our lives as a result of having known him. We are all happier and better people because we knew him, and so he will always be here. He cannot be missed, as he will never be gone.