Summer is around the corner and along with it water sports!!! There are actually wearables out there that can make your next surf more fun and even safer.
And we don’t even mean GoPro here- even though this product is one of the most successful wearable products ever. No there’s more!
No wind no surf. Vaavud is your personal meteorological tool for measuring wind speed and direction. You just plug it into your smartphone headphone jack to hold it in place. The accompanying app then converts rotation of the wind meter into a wind reading. You can also share your measurements online where they will be displayed on a map, along with readings submitted by other users.
Jaws! Sharks are one of the major fear factors for surfers. Ever thought that personal shark repellent wearable would be kind of cool? Well it already exists!
Sharkstopper tries to keep sharks out of our swimming space by emulating orca vocalizations. It makes sense that developers decided for Orca sounds because there are a shark’s natural predators. The device is placed below the knee and is triggered as soon as it gets wet. It is said to cause no actual harm to the sharks, and the makers also claim that it does not repel other types of fish. So also cool for your next ocean dive.
SharkShield is based on electrical conductivity. It generates an electrical field that is detected by the shark through its sensory receptors found on the snout. Once detected by the device, the field causes muscular spasms that result in the shark being repelled from the area. The company has different products that can either be attached to the leg or to the surf or kayak. The device is still pretty expensive but might make sense if you spend a lot of time in the ocean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNCedUi_jPg
Sharks are not the only danger lurking in the ocean. Drowning is a number one cause of dying when swimming. Kingii developed a really cool inflatable that keeps you safe while swimming. It is great for kids and adults. In case of an emergency just pull on the handle and the bag will inflate in 1 second. We think this is a must for every surfer or swimmer that decides to discover deep waters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=douxGAsnGfg
From now on surfers are able re-experience their surf sessions. RipCurl has developed a SearchGPS that records the number of waves you caught during your session, the distance of each ride, and your top speed on the water. You can easily sync your data to the Rip Curl Search App or website to see your statistic. It also shows you the local tides, how far you’ve paddled and how long you’ve been out. Bluetooth sync directly with your iPhone or USB connect with your home Windows or Mac PC.
Glassy Pro One is a similar surf watch. It measures and evaluates your surf sessions. You can compare your statistic with your friends and see your improvement. It also gives you information on potentially interesting surfing spots and keeps you updated on weather conditions.
Trace makes active sports measurable, sharable and comparable. The device is made for all kind of action sports, from skating, snowboarding and surfing. If you want to surf just choose the Surf app on your Smartphone and attach the device to your surf board. It counts waves and speed but it also measures air height, numbers of turns and other parameters as well.
Most of these devices are not affordable for a mainstream audience yet. Anyway we are still surprised by the number of products we were able to spot for this category. Wearables are entering every corner of the consumer market. We will keep on surfing on the forefront of the wave and keep you posted on any news!
