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 [...]
Archive for the 'Gear' Category
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 [...]
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
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.
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 [...]
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
Surfboard with built-in tablet pc
Published by August 21st, 2006 in Entertainment & Media, Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsAlthough 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 [...]
A pillow that tells you how good the waves are
Published by August 2nd, 2006 in Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsThe 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 [...]
The Germans have developed a way for wave-deprived people to experience the feeling of riding a wave. City Wave, as they’re calling it, is basically a fake standing wave formed by fashioning a large wave-shaped conveyor belt out of a special non-sticky material that people can ride with special boards. It doesn’t require a drop [...]
Sun screen that protects against sharks
Published by July 13th, 2006 in Gear, Science & Technology and Wildlife. 0 CommentsI love it when a plan comes together. Teeka Tan Products, a company that produces sun care products, and SharkDefense, a R&D company that focuses on chemical shark repellent technologies, are teaming up to produce a single lotion that not only protects humans against the sun’s harmful rays, but from sharks, too. Teeka also offers [...]
At one point or another, most surfers feel inclined to try a hand at shaping a surfboard. And I’d wager that most of us have never actually shaped a board because getting all the supplies and equipment together just isn’t economical.
Well, some folks in Huntington Beach, CA are making it fairly easy to realize [...]
FireWire turns surfboard construction inside-out
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsAustralians will try anything at least twice. One of their recent developments, the FireWire design, is starting to hit the market.
FireWire combines epoxy resin, a parabolic stringer and vacuum sandwich construction to form a surfboard that is inordinately light and durable. I watched Bird (down at the SouthCoast Surf Shop in Pacific Beach) set [...]
Chasing sophisticated tail
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsThe folks at Surf Syndicate are taking tail configuration to the next level with their TinklerTail technology, a variable-flex tail configuration that you adjust while you’re in the water. Inspired by the thrust that dolphins generate with their tails, supposedly, the TinklerTail can generate more thrust than a conventional surfboard tail . . . and [...]
