Dean died in a car crash at Malua Bay earlier this month.

The 44-year-old was driving along George Bass Drive, Malua Bay, when his vehicle left the road, went down an embankment and hit a tree.

One of Dean’s many close friends, Brendan Sheldon, described him as a “big man with a big beard and an even bigger heart”. 

“Dean was a champion bloke,” he said.

“He will be sorely missed by his family and surfing buddies.” 

Having known Dean since he was 15, Mr Sheldon said salt water flowed through Dean’s veins. 

“Dean’s life revolved around surfing and his movement was predicted by the tide and direction of the wind,” he said. 

Mr Sheldon said that in his spare time from his job as a tiler, Dean entered longboard competitions and made it into the Australian over 35s longboard championship finals. 

“He was a legend amongst surfing circles along the whole east coast and entered many competitions,” he said.