Author Archive for kris



Seismologists say the surf’s up across the globe

When waves crash on the shore they actually create vibrations in the Earth that can be detected by seismometers and used to determine the power of the waves. Seismologists have been archiving this data from 22 locations across the world for decades. Recently, a researcher noticed a trend in the data indicating that [...]

Surfboards that require no waves

Check out these jet-powered surfboards from MonoJet and PowerSki. Gives new meaning to the term “power surfing”. All kidding aside they do look like fun.
The creator of MonoJet, Egon Monostory, claims that the MonoJet surfboard is the lightest, fastest jet-powered surfboard on the market and is capable of speeds up to 40 mph. [...]

Shark eats anti-shark device

The folks at SharkShield must be feeling pretty disappointed right now. Recently, while testing one of their anti-shark devices in the shark-infested waters of South Africa, a shark actually attacked and ate the device. I can only imagine the looks on their faces when it happened.
This spectacular product failure has fueled speculation that [...]

New radar satellite technique enables near real-time global swell wave observations

The European Space Agency (ESA) is employing a new technique (based on the same principle as police speed-measuring radar guns) that uses satellite radar data to measure the speed of the moving surface of the ocean. Using this new technique the ESA is able to generate Near Real Time global swell animations.

I’m not an [...]

Surfer may have found the key to the universe

Check out this story about a surfer named Garrett Lisi, who recently stunned the physics community by offering a new “theory of everything” that explains how the universe works. The fact that a surfer is gaining respect from the physics community is pretty cool. Even cooler, though, is the fact that Garrett is [...]

Freakish Sea Foam

Recent storms off the east coast of Australia literally whipped up freakish amounts of sea foam that ultimately made its way to shore north of Sydney.
Scientists explain that the foam is created by impurities in the ocean, such as salts, chemicals, dead plants, decomposed fish and excretions from seaweed. All are churned up together [...]

I’d say these waves are well overhead

Earlier this month giant waves were photographed moving across the skies over Iowa. They’re a natural phenomenon called “undular bore waves”.

When you look at them on a satellite image, they kinda resemble a WWIII wave period animation.

Link

Instant Ding Repair Kit

Check out this new instant ding repair kit developed
out of South Africa. It works by filling the ding with a special powder, adding drops of a special liquid, waiting seconds for everything to harden, and then sanding. Sounds pretty cool to me, especially for when you’re traveling.
They claim it’s a more permanent repair [...]

The Ocean in a box

Check out this story about a laboratory model of the ocean that fits in a box. It’s pretty cool.

I’m gonna work on getting one to put on my desk, so when work’s bringing me down I can just put my head in it.
Link

New fin technology

Check out Shredda’s new fin configuration. The company claims to use 100% recycled materials and that the cost is under $100 (presumably AUS). They also make the claim that their new steering system “has increased the speed ,stability and turning ability by at least 20%….”

Read more about it at http://www.shredda.com

Underwater Map of California’s Coast

The California Coast State Waters Mapping Project aims to map the seafloor off California’s coast. They recently released data that illustrates the seafloor surrounding Mavericks. Visit http://www.mbnms-simon.org to read all about it and check out some cool images and this cool video.

Pororoca: the world’s longest wave

Pororoca is a bore in the Amazon river that could be the world’s longest natural wave.
“Twice a year, between the months of February and March, the Atlantic Ocean waters roll up the Amazon river, in Brazil, generating the longest wave on the Earth. The phenomenon, known as the Pororoca, is caused by the tides of [...]

Mice that can ride waves

These mice sure can rip. Watch them pull off some sweet floaters . . . one even scores a nice cover-up.
You gotta throw these guys a big shaka for a) coming up with the idea to make a video of mice surfing waves and 2) following through on the idea.

Dynamite Surfing

There’s some debate as to whether this video is real or not. Just check out the comments on any of the numerous sites that’s streaming the video. Regardless, I think the concept is pretty cool. Kids, my guess is that you should not try this at home.

A Taste of Panama

Here’s a link to the second half of the video.

Study finds surfing to be safer than soccer?

A study funded by the EMF seeks to quantify the health risks associated with surfing. After looking at the number and severity of injuries involved with 32 pro and amateur surfing contests worldwide, the researchers (some of whom are trained physicians) published a report stating that competitive surfing is safer than collegiate soccer or [...]

Mentawai 2006 Video

Here’s a little video of Ryan Bracker (San Diego) ripping it up in the Mentawai last summer.

Catch a wave at the world’s largest indoor beach

One time when I was a kid I got smacked upside the head for asking if I could build the world’s largest water park 300 meters from a natural beach. Well, as it turns out maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.
Located in Miyazaki, Japan the Ocean Dome measures 300 meters long, [...]

ASP judges will be using video replay to score waves in 2007

Judging surfing competitions is going to be a little bit easier in 2007 as the ASP tour is embracing video replay technology. ASP president Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew explains,
“As a result of the performance standards being raised, judges at top tour events are forever facing increasing pressure to be 100 per cent accurate in the [...]

The Holidays are really a celebration of the winter solstice.

Ever wondered why Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza all happen to fall around the same time of year? It turns out that they’re all originally celebrations of the winter solstice, which is the point at which the days stop getting shorter and start to grow longer in the northern hemisphere.
And Santa Claus - he [...]

Science of Surfing

Science Wire does a cool overview of the scientific aspects of surfing. Most of it will seem pretty basic if you’re already an accomplished surfer, but it’d be a good resource for any beginners out there.
I like their step-by-step instructions on how to generate your own surf forecast. The section that covers the [...]

Satellites help find waves

NASA’s website has a cool article about how satellites have helped to generate more accurate surf forecasts by providing accurate measurements of wave heights and wind speeds across the entire globe. The data that these satellites collect is freely available in case you’re interested in using it to create your own surf forecast. [...]

Welcome to the new website.

If you’re reading this, then that means you found broceanography’s new home.
At first glance it may seem as though nothing’s changed. The new site has a couple of new features:

Navigation bar at the top of the page just underneath the broceanography banner.
On the side panel there’s a section for surfLinks.
There’s a link at the [...]

Slater in the New York Times

Here’s a cool article about Kelly Slater from the New York Times.

Surfers are basically top-water shark lures

Sharks like to eat seals.  Everyone knows that. NPR has a story about some shark researchers in South Africa, who lure sharks to strike simply by floating surfboards on the water.
"To a shark, apparently, a nice little six-foot swallowtail does a near-perfect imitation of a seal. When retrieved, the decoys were often missing hubcap-sized chunks from [...]

The Surf Show: Beach Safety

You can read more about rip currents on NOAA’s site

Montauk lighthouse vs. Alamo

I guess when they built the Montauk Point Lighthouse in 1796, the builders didn’t expect the point to slowly disappear.  Well, time has taken its toll and apparently, the lighthouse is now in danger of collapsing into the ocean unless something is done to stop the relentless waves from eroding the ground on which [...]

Dolphins can learn to sing the Batman theme song

 
Here’s a story about some dolphins that scientists trained to sing the the theme song to the original Batman.

Global Swell Height for 2005

Here’s a look back at all of last year’s swell activity. I got the animations from NOAA.

Kelly Slater describes some insane wave pool technology

70percent put me onto these cool videos of Perry Farrell interviewing Kelly Slater. Slater mentions some new wave pool technology that he’s licensed. It’s called Surf the Ring. So far all I’ve been able to find on the web is this one-page site that offers very little info.

It’ll be cool to see [...]

Space Coast Reef: an artificial reef for Florida

Ironically, in the surfing world Florida is known more for producing great surfers, but not great waves.  The folks in Coco Beach, FL (home of Kelly Slater) are looking to make some nice waves by installing an artificial reef.  They’re working with the same company, ASR Ltd, that designed the Mount Reef in New Zealand.  [...]

The Surf Show


APT announces World Tour Tow-In Surfing Circuit

The Association of Professional Towsurfers is forming their own touring competition circuit.  It will be interesting to see what kind of mass-media attention the APT garners.  The 2004/2005 Maverick’s Surf Contest was broadcast on NBC.  If the APT follows suit and really tries to sell their tour to the masses, then it’ll likely attract [...]

Funny ad for Surfrider

In case you haven’t seen this already, here’s a funny ad for Surfrider.

A workout to improve your surfing

Have you ever missed a wave because you were out of breath or because you just weren’t paddling hard enough?  Well, here’s a surf workout that’s designed for building core strength.  They say 10 minutes 3 days/week.  You can read more about this brief workout at surfersvillage.com.
     

Coexisting with stingrays

Surfers are in close proximity to stingrays all the time.  I see themdarting around the shallows when I’m getting in and out of the water.  And when the water is clear, I can see them cruising along the bottom when I’m out in the lineup.  It’s always a little nerve-racking when you see the sillouhette [...]

Stingrays. Can’t we just all get along?

Yesterday in Florida a 5 ft, 30 lb stingray jumped out of the water and into an 81 yr-old man’s boat and stabbed him in the chest.  According to this article the man seems to be doing OK, though open heart surgery may be necessary in order to remove a piece of the stingray barb [...]

What exactly is “broceanography”?

According to Wikipedia
Broceanography is surf jargon for the ability to predict when and where to surf on a given stretch of coast.[1] It is an interdisciplinary field of study, drawing on meteorological, oceanographic and geographical information, to ensure that ideal surf conditions are never missed. One who practices broceanography is referred to as a "broceanographer". [...]

How to make your own surfboard

Interested in making your very own surfboard?  Who isn’t, right?   Surfer Steve does a good job of walking you through the process.  And if you do get around to making a board, send us a picture.
 

Hollow wooden surfboard construction

70percent.org posted a cool thread from Swaylock’s Surfboard Design Forum that documents the construction of a hollow wooden surfboard, so I thought I’d offer a little more on the history of hollow wooden boards.
Back in the 1930’s, when people were riding boards that were basically just solid planks of wood that weighed up to [...]

Santa Cruz surfers accuse surf schools of overcrowding

There’s a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about veteran local surfers banding together to prevent surf schools from holding group surfing lessons at Pleasure Point.  The surfers  claim that the surf schools are over crowding the surf spot, creating a safety hazard for all who frequent the spot.  The surfers and the surf schools [...]

Nice waves breaking on a man-made reef in NZ

 Apparently there weren’t enough waves at the Bay of Plenty, so they had to make more.  The Kiwi’s Mount Reef project seems to be a success in terms of the quality of waves that it’s creating. "The artificial reef is designed to have a primary purpose of creating high quality surfing waves. A database showing [...]

Book explores the healing powers of surfing

"After spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith."  Read entire review
I [...]

Broceanography 101

Everyone’s fantasy is to somehow get paid to surf. Well, how cool would it be to be able to go to college and study surfing? Students at UCSB can take Prof. Stuart Sweeney’s Geography of Surfing course, which looks pretty sweet. It’s like Broceanography 101. And if that’s not cool enough, [...]

Ship Tracker & VOS Program

Here’s a cool site that tracks ocean-going vessels.  Take a look at the map and see just how many ships are out there at once.  And it doesn’t even track all vessels, rather just the ones that are part of the World Meteorological Organization’s Voluntary Observing Ship program as well as yachts that report [...]

“Surf’s Up”: animated surf movie to stoke kids

Sony Animation has a film about surfing - penguin surfing, that is. I think it’s due for a Summer ‘07 release. No doubt when the film is released next summer, it’ll inspire lots of little kids to take to the water.
Check out how sweet the waves look in the trailer. Sony’s got [...]

Germans love surfing in rivers

 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - surfers are an innovative bunch.  When there are no waves to be found, surfers find a way to improvise.  For instance, landlocked Europeans do a fair bit of surfing in rivers.
YouTube’s got several videos of river surfing in Munich.  There’s even a project called Tube6 [...]

For those of you with desk jobs

Here’s a little something to help you while away the hours until that five o’clock bell rings.  Oh, that sweet five o’clock bell…. 
Enjoy.

Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood

 
Not all seafood is good for you.  In fact, some seafood can actually be bad for you and the environment.  Here’s a cool guide that tells you how eco-friendly your favorite type of seafood is.  The guide also indicates whether there is a health advisory for each species.  Pretty nifty.
Link

World Record: Most Surfers Standing on One Wave

 
Yesterday, over 100 people gathered at Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa to attempt a new world record for the Most Surfers Standing on One Wave.  Once approved, the South African’s unofficial record of 73 surfers riding the same wave will beat the official record of 44 currently held by the Lahinch Surf Club [...]

Earthquakes are actually pretty common, but not in FL

It kinda surprised me when I read about the recent earthquake that occurred just off of Florida’s Gulf Coast because the area isn’t very well known to be all that active, speaking strictly tectonically of course.  Luckily, it wasn’t the type of earthquake that can cause a tsunami.
A friend showed me this cool site [...]

Failing to regularly reapply sunscreen might be bad for you

Scientists have reason to believe that if you don’t reapply sunscreen after having been in the sun for two hours, then you might be better off not using sunscreen in the first place.  Going without sunscreen is certainly not advised, so the take-away here is to be more diligent about reapplying.  Check out this brief [...]

Secret Spot

Surfrider found a pretty tasty looking point (rights AND lefts) that has likely never been surfed.  Can you guess where it is? 
 
Hint: If you wanted to score some really sick waves there, all you’d have to do is clear out some of the islands that sit about 500 miles offshore to the east (to [...]

Professional surfing is about to go mainstream

Competitive surfing events don’t get the same level of media coverage as things like NASCAR and Pro Wrestling because they don’t have the same mass appeal.  The scoring system is subjective and all those land-locked people in the world just don’t appreciate the art of riding waves.  Well, I think these guys have figured out [...]

3rd Annual Surfrider Paddle for Clean Water

Surfrider is having their 3rd Annual Paddle for Clean Water this Sunday.  If you’re wondering exactly what a "Paddle Out" is:
A “Paddle Out” is a public rally where citizens concerned about the state of our coasts and ocean [...]

Life’s a Beach in San Diego

This is a video of a PBS special from last year. It “explores San Diego beaches, from lifeguards to surf divas, ocean pollution to skin cancer…”. I particularly enjoyed the segment on lifeguards (the 1st segment). It gives some insight into how the lifeguarding profession has evolved over time.

Anti-shark gadget

The Aussies have made an advancement in anti-shark technology.  SeaChange Technology’s SharkShield device attaches to your ankle like a leash and creates an electro-magnetic field that deters sharks up to 6 meters away.
 
Link

Surfers donate time to charitable causes

Here’s an article that puts surfers (and surfing) on a pedestal.  Says surfing has gotten a lot more popular in recent years and that surfers are donating more of their time to charitable causes that aren’t necessarily surf-specific.  The author doesn’t substantiate his claim with any hard data apart from the fact that last month [...]

Altered Oceans: latimes.com’s disturbing report on the state of the ocean

latimes.com has a five-part series, called Altered Oceans, on the various ways that we’re damaging the ocean.  It’s got some disturbing photos, videos, and graphics.  Seriously, you should check it out.
Link 
Thanks, 70percent.org

NOAA’s New Building

Broceanographers are constantly checking surf reports for current conditions as well as forecasts for the next swell.  There are countless websites that report surf and ocean weather conditions.  Each site tries to set itself apart from all the others by focusing on specific regions, using fancy graphics, and making claims that they’ve got the most [...]

Upwelling can cause “dead zones” in the ocean

Earlier this month there was an area off the Oregon coast where the seafloor was littered with piles of dead sea life (typically slow-moving sea life, like crabs, worms, jellyfish - but no dead fish were found).  This is the fifth year in a row that this has happened in the area, so scientists have [...]

$25K fellowship to travel the world studying the intersection of surf culture and environmental stewardship

If I could go back and do college all over again, I’d give some serious thought to doing it like Alexandra Cheney.  Wheaton College granted her a $25K fellowship to travel to some of the world’s finest surf destinations (Polynesia, Australia, Japan, Costa Rica, Brazil and South Africa).  Her mission is to study the intersection [...]

Tiny wave or giant ducks?

Our buddy, Ed, has been on a boat in the Mentawai Islands for the past 10 days, undoubtedly surrounded by incredible waves.  Ed demonstrates his broceanography skills par excellence with this little shot of perfection that he chased down somewhere off the beaten path.
 
Here’s a link to a larger version of the pic.

Surfboard with built-in tablet pc

Although this story is a bit dated, I feel it deserves a mention.  It’s a surfboard with a built-in wirelss tablet pc, so surfers can surf (the internet) while they’re out in the water.
From the looks of it, the whole thing was more of a gimick to demonstrate wireless technology.  Two years have passed since [...]

How many surfers are there in the world?

There’s no telling how accurate their numbers are, but the IWGA estimates the global population of recreational surfers to be around 20 million people.  There are roughly 2.5 million surfers in the United States alone, the majority being on the Pacific coast. 
Link

Time-lapse video of tide & currents at Black’s

Here’s a cool video that shows tidal movement at Black’s beach over time.
http://cil-www.coas.oregonstate.edu/ncex/blacky.c1.small.mov 

Podcasts of cool instrumental surf music

Double Crown records has some podcasts of cool traditional surf guitar instrumentals (Dick Dale style music).
Check ‘em out http://www.dblcrown.com/podcasts.html 
You should be able to stream the podcasts in your browser. I’ve listened to most of them.  So far I think show #13 is my favorite. 

Review of “Secret Machine”

We went to the premier of Secret Machine at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas.  The movie is pretty well put together. 
I don’t see what Sonny Miller was on about Globe actually having a secret machine that makes surf movies.  All of those shenanigans that were reported in the media may have been a ruse [...]

Underwater gliders monitor ocean conditions

Underwater gliders are helping oceanographers remotely collect real-time information about water currents, pollution and ocean organisms.  They’re currently patroling the waters off the coast of California. 
Here’s a link to the project portal and a regularly updated video depicting the gliders movements.

Link

Nearshore Canyon Experiment @ Black’s

Here are a couple of links to an interesting study of the deep canyons that make the waves at Black’s so special.
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?article_num=591
http://science.whoi.edu/users/elgar/NCEX/ncex.html
 
 

More on the WaveHub project

Some folks from A1surf report that ona recent trip to the north coast of Cornwall (England), they asked local surf shop owners and surfers what they thought of the impending Wave Hub project. 
They were surprised to discover that most people didn’t know anything about the project or it’s potential to degrade the quality of [...]

Up to 10 million different microbes live in the ocean

Until now scientists had identified and named  about 5,000 different marine microbes, but a recent survey suggests that there could be over 100 times that amount living in our oceans.  Using a DNA probe marine biologists  found  20,000 microbes living in a single liter of seawater.
"A swimmer taking just a swallow of seawater may be [...]

A pillow that tells you how good the waves are

The Aussies have done it again.  This time with a pillow that eliminates the need to get out of bed to check the surf.  It communicates wirelessly with special surf-monitoring software that you install on your computer.  The pillow vibrates according to the size of the waves, i.e. bigger waves make the pillow vibrate more [...]

Making Better Surf and Cleaner Power

Scientists in Australia are taking a novel approach to generating power from wave energy.  From the looks of it, this generator would not steal as much of the waves’ power, so surfers would not suffer from smaller waves. 
 
I wonder if the English have looked into using this technology for their proposed wave energy project. 
Check it [...]

29,000 plastic ducks adrift in the ocean for 14 years

Here’s a cool story cool story about how researchers are learning more about ocean currents by tracking where the toy ducks wash to shore.  Keep your eyes peeled for those ducks - they’re probably worth something.  
 
Link

Using waves to write on water

Some clever engineers have figured out how to use standing waves to form all letters of the Roman alphabet and even some kanji characters.  What will they think of next? 
Check it out: http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=695