4. BECAUSE IT'S A WORKING LUNCH
Early on, the Malloys were a lot like, well, other extremely talented professional surfers. They picked up their first sponsor in 1987, when Channel Islands Surfboards founder Al Merrick gave them a contract for boards and spaghetti dinners. They've come as a package ever since. Their first big endorsement deal was with Billabong, in 1991. When Billabong president Bob Hurley launched Hurley International in 1998, they went with him.

In April 2004, the Malloys jumped to Ventura-based Patagonia. The surf industry was dumbfounded: Why work for a company best known for mountain apparel? "Bob Hurley treated us like family," says Chris, "but we were really tired of the entire Orange County surf paradigm. It's become Hollywood. It's no longer a sport; it's a look."

The Malloys had befriended Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard in 2000, when Keith bought the Ventura home where he lives with Dan across the street from Chouinard and his wife, Malinda. When he began talking to them about the viability of building out Patagonia's surf line with sustainable, function-first products, Chris recalls, "we told him it would work and that we wanted in."

They've since had a hand in every aspect of Patagonia's surf line, from advertising to the design of the Cardiff store. Inside, you'll find the Malloy-designed 80-percent-non-petroleum-based wetsuit (most are 100 percent petroleum), along with non-Patagonia waterman essentials like spear guns and paddleboards. The apparel includes organic-cotton versions of layers from their own closets, like an overcoat modeled after Chris's old army jacket, and—following a typical Malloy notion of what's practical—a side-vented shirt that allows you to comfortably hold a surfboard while riding a horse. "Surfing takes work," says Keith. "We're making durable work clothes."

5. IT WON'T GO TO THEIR HEADS
"Look," says Chris, "don't write that we're these do-good humanitarians. Don't write that we're rabid environmentalists. We're just fun-hogging tube junkies. But we've realized we can have all the fun we want and still leave something good behind."