DHD Black Diamond 6'6 review: an excellent hybrid that became too big
Updated 2026-09-19
| Length | 6'6" |
|---|---|
| Width | 21 3/4 in |
| Thickness | 3 in |
| Volume | 43.3 L |
| Fin config | 5 Slots |
| Wave range | 2 to 6 ft |
The DHD Black Diamond is a 6'6 five-slot hybrid, a board the register calls excellent in its own right, sold not for any fault but simply because it eventually ran too big.
What it is and why I bought it
I bought the Black Diamond stock in March 2015, a board with a flat rocker, hard rails and a single-to-double-concave bottom, finished with a rounded pin tail, built with five fin slots so it can be ridden as a thruster or a quad. At 21 3/4 inches wide and 43.3 litres over 6'6, it is a hybrid shape built for flexibility in fin setup.
It came in a white colourway.
How it surfed
Its best wave came at Corso, and the register's own verdict is direct: excellent, became too big. That combination, genuine quality paired with a length that no longer matched what was needed, is a common enough story in a long-running quiver, and it applied here without any complaint about how the board actually performed. The logged wave range is 2 to 6 ft, ideal at 4 ft.
Who it suits and who it does not
A five-slot hybrid like this suits someone who wants flexibility between thruster and quad setups in one board, at a length that matches their current everyday conditions. It is a weaker fit for someone whose quiver has since shifted toward shorter, more specific shapes, which is exactly what happened here.
What happened to it
It sold on 1 July 2015 for $500, against an $850 purchase cost.
Questions people ask
Why was an excellent board sold?
Purely on length. The register notes it directly: excellent, became too big, meaning it no longer matched the conditions or the rest of the quiver rather than any fault in the board.
What is a five-slot fin setup?
It is a fin box configuration that allows a board to be ridden as either a thruster or a quad, giving flexibility without needing two separate boards.
What conditions suited the Black Diamond?
The logged range is 2 to 6 ft with 4 ft as the ideal.
For the full spec sheet, see the sold boards list. For similar hybrid boards, see the DHD Sweet Spot 2. For more on fin setups, see twin quad or thruster.