After a near-drowning incident in 2010, big wave legend Shane Dorian wondered if he would ever be able to face 50-foot-plus waves again.  But today Dorian is back out in the largest surf he can find, thanks to greater peace of mind provided by his new invention.  Working together with Billabong Wetsuits and Mustang Survival Corporation, Dorian created the first wetsuit with a built-in instantly inflatable air bladder.  With a quick tug on a ripcord, the wetsuit quickly lifts the wearer from deep underwater to the surface.

The revolutionary suit has been dubbed the “Billabong V1” with the V standing for Vertical ascent and the 1 indicating positive altitude, or one foot above sea level.

Dorian, from Kona, Hawaii, is widely regarded as the best big wave surfer in the world today, having paddled into a half dozen of the most amazing waves ever ridden in the last 18 months alone.  But it was one of the waves he wiped out on which made the biggest impression on the 38-year-old father of two. The disastrous ride happened during Dorian’s first trip to Maverick’s, the notorious cold-water break south of San Francisco, California during February 2010.

“I took off on the wrong wave and had a horrible wipeout,” recalled Dorian. “The wipeout was terrible, I got held under for two waves, I almost drowned.  After that I had an idea to incorporate an air bladder, something like the airplane vests where you pull the tab and it inflates immediately with a CO2 cartridge.”  Dorian wrote an email to Hub Hubbard, the wetsuit product manager at Billabong USA, describing the idea, and the project was underway.

Hubbard’s research quickly lead to Mustang Survival Corporation, a well-known manufacturer of dry suits, flotation systems and other marine lifesaving gear.  While most of Mustang’s products are designed for use at the surface, they had experience in creating heavy duty polyurethane bladders for the US Military and fabricated a new bladder system for Billabong.

The design evolved over time.  “Their initial thought, as was mine, was to position the bladder on the chest of the suit so once the wearer surfaced  it would help them to be face-up,” said Hubbard.  “Not so, as Shane pointed out, because once you have surfaced you still need to be able to paddle your surfboard.  So logically we decided it should go on the back, which still keeps the wearer face-up while inflated.”

With the Mustang bladders in hand, Hubbard worked with Barbara Mau at Express Wetsuit repair to develop a prototype.

read more at transworld

After nearly 10 years of riding the Futures system, Rob Machado has signed off on his first ever signature fin. The collaboration between Rob and Futures is the perfect blend of cutting edge hydrodynamics and environmental sustainability.

Rob’s fin features a torsional flex pattern, thanks to Futures’ V2 foil and a layer of strategically placed carbon fiber. Combined with renewable, fast growing bamboo, the fin is both light and lively. Designed for Rob’s explosive style, the bamboo carbon matrix stores potential energy and releases it as a burst of kinetic speed.

FUTURES – ROB MACHADO SIGNATURE FIN from Futures Fins on Vimeo.

Rob had been riding the V2 AM1 BlackStix for years, he said, “I knew that was a good starting point for me in designing a fin. I just really liked the flex that the BlackStix had. I don’t know exactly what it does but it feels good. I am more of a feel kind of person, you know… sometimes it just feels good.”

“We have been lucky to work with Rob and we are proud of how this fin turned out,” says Head Designer and Founder Vince Longo.

Rob’s fin is made of a high quality epoxy resin, instead of polyester. Not only is epoxy resin stiffer, lighter and better performing, it is also more resilient and releases less VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).

The Rob Machado Signature Fin represents a step forward in decreasing the environmental impact of the resin transfer process, while remaining Strongest, Lightest, Fastest.

original story from futuresfins.com

Scotland’s largest ever mass whale stranding was averted yesterday after marine experts said the mammals had broken into smaller groups and moved back into deeper water .

The pod of pilot whales, about 20 of which had severe head injuries, was spotted late Thursday night as the mammals attempted to beach themselves on the rocky shore of a remote Scottish island. Dozens of healthy whales had also followed them into the shallow water raising fears that up to 100 of the animals could strand themselves.

The pod was discovered moving back and forth along the Loch Carnan coastline in South Uist in the Western Isles, Scotland, showing signs of distress.

Volunteers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) travelled overnight to reach the animals, and members of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were also involved with the rescue, and were poised to use inflatable pontoons to push the whales back out to sea.

Local fishermen also helped to encourage the whales back into deeper water.

Scottish SPCA senior inspector Calum Watt said: “We were alerted to the possibility of a mass stranding yesterday evening and are now co-ordinating with the BDMLR.

read more at telegraph.co.uk