Metrics and data analysis are a big part of any sport. Every athlete is always pushing themselves to be faster, stronger, and better, and now even surfers have a way to keep track of their performance when they hit the surf (other than knowing they survived) with the Search GPS watch from Rip Curl.
Surfing is a thrill but, depending on where and when you hit the waves, it can be cold. Really cold. Like, super cold
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Most Mercedes-Benz owners wouldn’t dream of driving their vehicles into the sea, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting a little luxury while you’re tackling a big wave. And since the carmaker is a sponsor of surfer Garrett McNamara, it teamed up with ad agency BBDO Portugal to design a one-of-a-kind surfboard for him.
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I don’t know if I’m just weirdly shaped or what, but I’ve never found a wetsuit that fits perfectly. Sometimes it’s just a nitpick—as in it’s just a bit too tight one place, or a little baggy somewhere else—and sometimes I’m right in between sizes for a brand and can’t wear any of their suits (I’m looking at you, O’Neill).
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When you get swallowed by the waves of the biggest sea monster in the world (also known as the wonderful ocean), there’s not much you can do but protect your head and hope you know which way is up. It’s like being trapped inside a water tornado. This footage, captured by pro surfer Mark Healey, shows the exact feeling of getting hit by a gigantic wave. It’s a brutal spin.
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The snow is falling, it’s freezing out, and you avoid going outside as much as you can. For spring vacation, you decide to go somewhere where you can finally try surfing. You book tickets; you line up lessons. Boxes: Checked. You show up, and your first lesson goes really well! You stand up a few times, and you actually ride a few waves! You’re hooked, and you can’t wait to surf again tomorrow. Just one small problem: You wake up in the morning and you can’t lift your arms above your head.
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The typical skateboard is made of laminated wood. Wood is durable, relatively lightweight, and has the flex and bounce required by the average sidewalk surfer. What it’s not waterproof or particularly exciting. The Hydroflex Skateboard has all these attributes, plus …
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If you’ve dreamed of becoming a surfer, but don’t live anywhere close to waves big enough to ride, that’s no longer a problem. The JetSurf board promises to turn anyone into a Big Kahuna, even on the calmest of lakes, thanks to a built-in 100cc gas engine that can propel the board up to 35 mph.
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The thick of the summer may be over, but there’s still some time to take the JetSurf out to your local swimmin’ hole. This gas-powered mini-surfboard is about the size of a wakeboard, and its carbon-fiber-and-kevlar body is powered by …
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Quantified selfers who are also surfers, skateboarders (or skiers/snowboarders) won’t be feeling so left out of the tracking trend if this Kickstarter campaign hits its funding goal. Trace is a monitoring device for action sports practitioners to catch data on every wave, turn, flip, landing and so on — and a corresponding app so they track their performance and see how they rank against others.
The sensor is a two-inch-in-diameter gizmo that attaches to the bottom of a skateboard or the top of a surfboard (or on a helmet if you prefer) via a mount, and captures motion data using inertial sensors and GPS. Specifically it contains 9-axis sensors, advanced multi-Hz GPS, BT 4.0, plus its own processor. Motion data is offloaded via Bluetooth and your smartphone’s connectivity to Trace’s servers for processing and then fed back to the your Trace app as a visualised session sheet.
Trace’s creators, who also previously created a tracker app/social network just for skiers and snowboarders called AlpineReplay, claim their speed/distance/jump height/rotation algorithms can “identify a tre-flip down 10 stairs, detail every turn on a 100-yard Rincon right, and measure a backflip off a 20-foot kicker at Mammoth”. So expect Trace to provide detailed pictures of your wipeouts, as well as your triumphs. That said, its creators note they are are also still working on fine-tuning their surfing and skating algorithms to be sure of their accuracy at correctly identifying tricks and turns in a variety of scenarios.
The idea behind using a dedicated hardware sensor device — rather than just relying on the sensors built in to a smartphone — is that it enables more sophisticated data to be captured. And of course allows the device to get wet. And take more knocks than you’d probably want your phone to. Trace is apparently shockproof, waterproof and durable, as well it needs to be. Its battery charges over USB – each charge apparently lasting up to seven hours.
Trace works with three free apps — one apiece for surfing, skating and snow-related sports — allowing users to view their performance stats and plug into a social network of fellow practitioners to rank and compare their sessions. The device can currently be bagged for a pledge of $129 — all early bird pledges of $99 having gone. Assuming its creators reach their $150,000 crowdfunding goal, they are aiming to ship Trace in February 2014.
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