As an Olympic sport, surfing includes several divisions. While most surfers specialize in either “regular” surfing or “big wave” surfing, some go into the other style or even develop their own. Ross McCarthy is an entrepreneur who also happens to be a watersports devotee. He had a lifelong passion for surfing but never learned how to properly ride the waves. So he took matters into his own hands and devised YourWave. The closest beach is roughly a two-hour drive from where he began this project in a little settlement outside Wanaka in interior Otago, New Zealand.
RNZ featured a piece on Ross McCarthy’s invention, in which he explained how he came up with the idea for this groundbreaking tool. When compared to surfing on natural waves, YourWave’s revolutionary, chambered air-filled waveforms and inflatable surrounds make it safer to surf and even safer to crash out on.
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Innovation enough to revolutionize surfing
Although there are many joys to be had when surfing, the activity also has a high risk of injury or death. Despite his lifelong passion for surfing, Ross McCarthy has never been able to perfect the sport for several reasons. Since he already had a master’s degree in industrial product design, he decided to take matters into his own hands by creating YourWave. The outcome was remarkable once the innovation was made. There are a lot of wave machines that stay in one place, but McCarthy’s breakthrough was special because of its adaptability.
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As reported by RNZ, the idea for McCarthy’s invention came from, as he mentions, “Funnily enough, it came up over a few beers with just me and a mate. We saw original stationary wave machines and said ‘Why don’t they put it on a bouncy castle or inflatables to make it a lot safer’, so the idea sprung from there.” Three-quarters of a million dollars in Callaghan Innovation financing, a comparable amount in private investment, and a lot of trial and error also supported his concept.
The machine’s adaptability sets it apart from similar stationary wave generators. It’s versatile enough to switch on the fly between left- and right-hand breaks and to generate waves suitable for novices and veterans alike. Instead of having to rely only on the whims of Mother Nature, surfers of all skill levels and experiences may now enjoy the sport.
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