After a scary wipeout at Mavericks surf spot in California pro surfer Shane Dorian came up with an idea to add an air bladder to a wetsuit that would inflate to bring a surfer to the surface in the event of a hold-down scenario. This concept is amazing and I cannot believe no one has thought of this yet. Below is a video explaining the development process Shane and Billabong went through to produce an early prototype.
Right now it appears that this type of wetsuit is only available for the upper elite pro surfers but hopefully this idea will catch on and become available to the rest of us.
2 comments:
yea, that is a great idea...fishermen have been wearing something similar for a while now. (small inflatable vests for emergencies...made by mustang, as well). It really makes sense for ALL surfers and bodyboarders to wear them.
One negative is that it costs about $50 to refill those cylinders. (of course, if it saves your life, that $50 is well spent).
Awesome technology.
Thanks for the adding another level to surfing safety. I started surfing when I was 11. I am now 66. Flotation wetsuits mean I can now surf larger waves and not let my age limit my rush.
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