I tried to jump in from the side and drop in from above. The wave wasn’t strong enough to hold the tube.

The transfer is the easy part

Then I wanted to try and do a board transfer onto the river wave. The transfer is the easy part. Getting onto the wave with two boards was really hard. A board transfer doesn’t count if you don’t paddle onto the wave with the boards yourself.

Finally after a few tries I got onto the wave and made it happen!

I ended my surf session on an inflatable surfboard. It surfs so well from rail to rail for an inflatable. I never have to worry about dinging it up or anything! One of the best investments in my quiver!

The post River Surfing Board Transfer appeared first on Riverbreak.

First thing is first. See what style of fin box you have on your board. Are they FCS style or are they the Futures style? FCS fins have two tabs that are inserted into the hull of the board using screws. Futures style fins are inserted into the hull of a board with a larger single tab using screws. Then you want to look at your fin set up to determine how many fins you will need. From my experience all you need on a river wave is a twin fin (2 fin) set up.

It all boils down to what style of surfing you want to do.

When surfing a river wave you are surfing straight. This allows more of the boards surface area to be in the water. Your fins are going to spend majority of the time in the water. I find that a twin fin (2 fin) setup works really well. I don’t really like a quad set up because it makes the board react a lot slower while turning and doing tricks. If I am riding really short fins I will throw in a 2 + 1 fin set up ( 2 side fins and 1 middle fin). This seems to help provide a little bit more stability and still feels loose enough to do tricks. Keep in mind this is my personal preference from my own experience and surf style.

Quick Fin 101

Fin Size

The fin size is referring to the length or height of the fin. A fin that is larger will help provide stability and control. A smaller fin will create a lose skate like feeling on the wave. In bigger more powerful river waves a larger fin will help you keep more control while surfing. Overall a longer/taller fin provides more stability on a river wave.

Fin Base

The fin base refers to the part of the fin that sits flush with the board. It is typically the widest part of the fin. The length of the base will impact how your board turns on a river wave. A longer fin base will create longer turns. A shorter fin base will help you turn quicker.

Fin Flex

Fin flex refers to how much flex the fin has while surfing on a wave. All fins have a certain flex but some have more than others. For the most part the base of the fin will be stiff and toward the tip is where the flex will be. A fin with more flex will allow the fins to break free for a more skate feel.

Find out which fins work best for you based on your style and board setup

Wrapping It Up

Looking at these basic fin features you can decide what fin is going to work best. You can determine what style of surfing you want to do. If you want to have a looser skate style and be able to do all sorts of spin tricks and pop shove its. Use a smaller fin with a shorter base. If you want to hack massive turns and throw buckets of spray chose a bigger fin with a wider base. Or if you want to balance yourself somewhere between those two styles choose a medium size fin and fin base.

The best part is playing around with different shaped and different size fins to see how it affects the board in the water. Have fun with it and figure out what works best for you and your surf style. Keep progressing and having fun!

The post How to Choose the Right Fins for River Surfing appeared first on Riverbreak.

My brother’s truck decided to stop working and I was looking for any excuse to get a van of some kind. So I gave him the keys to my Lexus. I began the hunt for my perfect river surfing mobile. All my friends have sprinter vans. So that’s where I started.

It is going to take me to all the best waves I can think of.

I looked at full size sprinter style vans and cargo vans. But they all felt empty. They just didn’t seem to fit my lifestyle. I needed something I would be able to balance between my home life and river surfing. Finally I found a mini van that was perfect for what I needed.

DIY river surfing camper

A Car that Fits your Lifestyle

This may not be the van everyone had in mind for me. But it is mine and it is perfect for my life. It gets better gas mileage than a sprinter or cargo. Has just about as much room as a cargo (4 ft X 8 ft). Oh yeah, and the seats fold into the floor! So I can take the bed platform out and easily accommodate passengers. Best part of it is that it is going to take me to all the best waves I can think of!

When I converted the van I made sure everything could easily be taken out and put back in! It’s like a transformer van that is super stealth. I mean who sees a mini van and thinks someone is camping out in it?! Take a look at the video to see my transformer conversion!

The post How to Turn your Vehicle into the Ultimate River Surfing Mobile appeared first on Riverbreak.

Design, Volume and Shape

When choosing a surfboard for the river the most important thing to think about is design. Would you rather surf a board shaped for the ocean or a board specifically shaped for a river? Don’t get me wrong an ocean board could do the trick just fine. I surfed on them for years. But nothing will beat a board shaped specifically for the river.

Volume is the next thing you want to think about. Volume of a board is really important because it is a board floatation. Most river waves are pretty mushy and a higher volume board will surf better and ride more waves than a lower volume board. A lighter construction and overall weight can help add to the volume of a board.

Nothing beats a board shaped specifically for the river.

Shape of the board is equally important. A lot of river waves will require a shorter board with proper nose and tail rocker to fit into the wave and surf well. From my personal experience a nose rocker should be anywhere from 3”-3.5” and a tail rocker from 1”-1.5”. You are also going to want to look for a little wider tail. A board with a wider tail is going to allow for more push while on the wave. Which means on a smaller and softer wave, your board will stay on the wave better.

One Board Quiver?

Would you rather surf a board shaped for the ocean?

A lot of people are looking for the answer for the one board quiver. There are really not many boards out there that will meet all these specifications and surf pretty much any wave you will encounter. The Badfish Sk8 is one of the few boards that I have found to be a perfect answer to the one quiver board. I ride the 5’ which is a whopping 48.5 liters. It has perfect tail and nose rocker. I know that it will surf the powerful high performance waves (like River Run Park, Boise and Bend), it will surf the mushier waves that require the higher volume (like Glenwood Surfer Left and other local small waves) and it will definitely surf big waves (Glenwood Surfer Right, Pipeline and Lunch Counter)

So I go back to the question everyone river surfer should ask themselves … Would you rather surf a board shaped for the ocean? Or, something shaped specifically for the river? Something that will perform well no matter what wave you end up at? It’s a no brainer!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more useful videos and tipps on river surfing!

The post How to Choose a River Surfboard appeared first on Riverbreak.

Here is Timo’s Apnea philosophy and all you need to know about the ApneaSurf camps and courses he offers:

Control, power and hard training is what you don’t need to hold your breath for a couple of minutes. The will to learn, to accept and let go are more important then strength. First, it’s crucial to develop a deep understanding of how your body and mind actually work. Your body can do way more than you think it’s capable of. Most of what you need to hold your breath longer, is already in you. So simple? Yes and No.

Your body can do way more than you think it’s capable of.

What happens when you are hold-down by a strong wave or in a nasty low-head dam? Think like “I can stay here for a while”. The goal is to achieve a relaxed state. This helps you to keep a clear mind allowing you to set effective actions instead of panicking. While being under water you often need to do the exact opposite of what your mind tells you.

ApneaSurf takes the knowledge of breathing and breath-holding and brings it to the surf community, where the situation is more like an emergency breath-hold

You need to change your current pattern and stop thinking about time. Thinking about time leads to stress, which leads to muscle contraction, which consumes oxygen leading to a much stronger urge to breath. Understanding the physiology of your breath-hold gives you a huge advantage in knowing what’s going on in your body, finally giving you the confidence you need to endure longer hold-downs.

 Relaxation and the right mindset are key to endure longer hold-downs.

We are now offering ApneaSurf courses to improve your breath-hold during emergency situations. Usually, people start off with in a group or 1by1 Skype session. After spending time on listening to yourself and accepting your physical sensation the next step is to get more comfortable with holding your breath under water. In our courses we mix, dry and/or wet sessions to simulate different situations.

The following ApneaSurf courses and camps are available at freedive-your-life.com:

1. 1by1 SkypeSession to master your fears and experience what holds you back in taking the next step
2. Course (1 Day) for up to 4 persons in the pool or lake (dry+wet)
3. Workshops (1/2 – 1 Day) up to 20 persons in a dry environment
4. Camp (1 – X Days) at the Lake Constance (Bodensee) – WakeSurfing, ApneaSurf-Workshop, SUP, Camping, Grill and Chill

Stay safe and keep the stoke alive!
Timo, Freedive-Instructor & Systemic Coach | freedive-your-life.com

The post Surf Apnea – Maximise the Length of your Breath-Hold appeared first on Riverbreak.

So, Greenlight Surf Supply is in the surfboard shaping business, what exactly are you guys doing?

Greenlight was founded in 2005 with the vision of comprehensively teaching and continuing to support surfers who want to shape their own surfboards at home. Through our unmatched talents of engineering, manufacturing, education, and communication in the surfboard world, we provide top quality materials, tools, methods and support to make surfboard building easy, fun, and affordable.

Being a DIY-focused company, we also design and build all of our machinery and processes to manufacture the products. DIY is in our DNA and we want to share the pride of the surfboard building process and the absolute stoke you feel when riding a board you designed and built for yourself and style.

This river surfboard building kit will get you on the wave in no time

What led you to found Greenlight Surf Supply? Tell us a bit about your story …

I couldn’t find what I wanted to ride on the racks at the surf shops so I started building my own boards in my garage. Materials were limited then so I glued up some insulation panels and glassed it with boat resin. Then I started developing EPS (expanded polystyrene) blanks and tools to make shaping foam easier. 13 years later and still having fun developing new products to make surfboards better.

Why should someone get a board building kit in the first place instead of ordering a standard surfboard?

Other than the cost of a building kit is less than ½ of buying a board off the racks, the #1 reason our customers make their own surfboards is the feeling of pride and accomplishment provided by shaping my own boards. There’s nothing like the feeling of riding something you created.

Your dream shape is in your own hands now

What exactly is included in your surfboard kits? What else (tools, materials) is required to get started?

We offer an array of surfboard, SUP, wake, and riversurf kits. There are “Starter Kits” that include all the materials, tools, instruction, and friendly Greenlight support as well as basic material kits if you have the tools and knowledge already. We also make custom surfboard blanks per customer’s specifications and can package them in to a custom kit.

Shaping a surfboard is almost considered an art of its own. How much know-how and experience is required to shape a board? Can anyone do this? What kind of skills are needed?

To have an idea of what you want to do on a wave, shape the board based on that idea, and then experiencing that feeling you crave when surfing the board … no words can describe it. It’s the highest level of surfing. It’s EPIC! ~ Dave Grimes

No one expects you to do it all on your own. That’s why Greenlight Surf Supply continues to build and support an extensive educational online library of video and step-by-step instruction to comprehensively teach surfers of any age or ability how to design and build their own surfboards. Our education-based approach takes the mystery out of shaping and surfboards by providing an unprecedented level of instructional resources available to you online 24/7. The Greenlight brand is widely recognized in the surfboard building community as the most innovative, professional, and trustworthy source for materials, instruction, and service on the web.

How much time does it take to shape a board based on your building kits?

You can shape a board in less than 4 hours and the fiberglassing process takes 4 days overall with the resin curing times. So you can build a new board in a week if you work on it about an hour a day.

How much flexibility do your kits provide? Some people may want to go creative, doing crazy tail shapes, asym shapes, different rockers, channels, bottom contours etc.

One of the benefits of our Engineered EPS blanks is that they allow any shape up to 24” wide to be carved out of the foam. Rocker adjustments, channels, and concaves are easily shaped in and we can also cut close tolerance custom blanks to any shape a customer wants. The blanks can be painted with acrylic paints before glassing or resin tints and pigments can be added while fiberglassing to give your board color and style. We include custom ink jet logo paper to print your own logos and special paint pens to draw detailed graphics on your board too. Infinite possibilities in design!

Infinite possibilities in terms of shapes and board art

Surfboard shaping can easily turn into a challenge … what could go wrong?

Building my own board with this kit was fantastic! So much fun and the board turned out pretty good for my first one. I liked how light the EPS foam is and it shaped nicely. Thanks to Greenlight for all your help and the great supplies! ~ Mark K.

Bottom line – everything is fixable while building a board. The best board builders know how to hide the mistakes! Things will go wrong on your first board but understand those issues will come out later in the process and not affect the ride. The biggest mistake we’ve seen is a bad outline cut which makes the board look like it’s your first one. We have a library of outline templates to choose and download online and if you cut the outside your template line and sand down to the line with our special RailRunner tool, your board starts out right and sets you up for success.

Do you offer a kit that is specifically tailored for river surfing? If so, what is included in this kit and which board types are covered?

Yes, we offer a river surfboard building kit with different size blank options to build and board style you want up to 6’0”. Resin, fiberglass, fin boxes, and custom logo paper are included in the kit. And while supplies last, we are including a new Innegra woven fiberglass cloth that greatly increases the ding resistance of a river surfboard.

Many river surfers prefer durable and resistant boards that can take a beating in a rocky river. How resistant are your boards and what options do river surfers have to make the boards more resistant (e.g. reinforce rails with kevlar, carbon etc.)?

The way our Engineered EPS foam blanks are made they can take a hit from a rock or another board and absorb some of the energy and bounce back rather than crumbling like conventional polyurethane foam blanks. The Epoxy resins we supply also have some elasticity to flex before breaking and letting water in. We also offer a new fiberglass cloth with Innegra fibers as well as a variety of fiberglass cloths and carbon fiber reinforcement to make the board as strong as you’d like.

Futures or FCS boxes, it’s up to you

What fin set ups are possible and do you support both FCS and Futures?

We carry both FCS and Futures brand finboxes and you can put as many fin boxes in a board as you want. Our River surfboard kits come with 3 fin boxes of your choice for a tri fin set.

In which sizes are your blanks/kits available?

Our stock blanks range from 4’11” Skimboard blanks to 12’ SUPS. We quickly manufacture each blank per order order for maximum customization in length, thickness, rocker, foil, and stringer setup. We can make any blank you want if it’s not in our catalog.

Are there any guides, (video) tutorials or manuals that come with the kit? How do you deal with people who need more specific advice or have questions?

Beginner shaping kits come with a video download shot in my garage over 10 years ago. No flashy editing or hi resolution, but tons of great information and tricks are shown for first time shapers in a home environment similar to what they’ll be shaping in. We are very proud of our online Surfboard Building Guide which is a comprehensive step-by-step tutorial for board building. In addition we have a Surfboard Design guide on the website that tackles all the physics and hydrodynamics of a surfboard so you can learn how a board works and design it to suit your style of surfing and the waves you ride.

Our online HELP CENTER currently has over 400 answers to customer questions over the years and is a tremendous resource for any board builder to gain more knowledge of the process. Lastly, as always, we’re eager to help anyone through email and get back with answers amazingly fast.

Board based on a Greenlight Building Kit

Where do you ship your kits?

We ship kits and blanks throughout the USA and Canada. We cannot ship resins overseas due to airline regulations but we ship fiberglass, fins, tools, etc. to international customers daily.

Use discount code RIVERBREAK for 10% off a river surfboard kit!

Contact

Website: greenlightsurfsupply.com
Email: info@greenlightsurfsupply.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Greenlight-Surf-Supply-187175107971108
Instagram: instagram.com/greenlightsurfsupply

The post Build Your Own River Surfboard – Greenlight Board Building Kit appeared first on Riverbreak.

Duct Tape

It can be a session saver, but by no means should it be considered a season saver. Duct tape is not waterproof and will let water into your board over time. That water will cause your foam and fiberglass to mould and rot and will destroy your board. Use a waterproof tape to get you through a session or local two, but have a ding repaired as soon as possible if you want to get the most out of your board. But be careful which type of tape you use. Those that are for industrial applications do a good job of keeping water out but have very strong adhesives, which may tear off some of the good fiberglass when you attempt to remove the tape or it may leave a residue that is a nightmare to get off.

Dings at the tail and on the rails, previously covered in duct tape

Waterlogged foam around the fin boxes

Fin Boxes

Older boards tend to have FCS X2 fin plugs, which are two individual plugs per fin (one per fin tab). Many newer boards have FCS Fusion or FCSII boxes (or Futures, of course). These boxes are stronger and much less likely than fin plugs to pop out if you hit a fin on a rock or something else that is hard. However, they do tend to crack around the edges, which can let water in, which can lead to foam rot when water gets in.

If the foam around the fin boxes has rotted, there are a couple of options for repair. One is to rip out the fin boxes and replace with new ones, but both Fusion and FCSII boxes were meant to be installed before the board is glassed, so this is not ideal (though not impossible). A new method that I just tried was to remove all of the rotten foam, replace with filler, and to fill in, paint, and glass over the existing Fusion boxes without removing them. I then drilled them out and installed FCS X2 plugs directly into the old Fusion plugs. This works well because FCS X2 plugs are meant to be installed after a board is glassed. I’m quite happy with the results – they are as solid as the original Fusion boxes and were easier and cheaper to install.

New fin boxes installed and dings repaired

Board ready to shred again

Final Note

My goal is to continue to share this sort of information with our community when I see specific problems arise. I don’t expect to get rich doing repairs, and I’m certainly not able to quit my day job, so I would rather try to educate others so that they can keep their equipment finely tuned and significantly increase the lifespan of their boards.

The post Tales from the Repair Shop: Duct Tape Nightmare and Installing Fin Boxes appeared first on Riverbreak.

What Equipment You Need

As a starter, here is is the most essential gear advice on how to make the right choices when buying your first river surfing equipment.

River Surfboard

Your board is important, without it you cant surf. The size of your board will be impacted by a few things. First, you will want a board that has enough volume to float your body weight. Second, what waves will you be surfing it on? You want to make sure you get a board that will fit into the wave you are surfing. In most cases your are going to want to stay under 6′. If you are surfing a high performance river wave like the Boise, Denver or Bend wave you can get away with a low volume board even if you are a heavier rider.

Helmet

I always wear a helmet because you never know what could happen. Check out the River Surfing Helmets Buying Guide where you will find everything that you need to know to make the right choice.

PFD / Life Jacket

Personal Floatation Device. This will help you save energy on the swims in between surfs. It is also helpful in the event you need to be recued because it will keep you floating above the waterline and give rescuers something to hold onto.

Leash

Leashes are expectable under one condition: They need to be attached to a quick release of some kind. Otherwise leashes can be a death trap! Before you go out, make yourself familiar with leash safety.

Footwear and Neoprene

Depending on the water and weather temp, wetsuits are a great idea. Wearing a wetsuit will allow you to surf longer and prevent hypothermia. Depending on the river depth you may want to wear surf booties. They are thick enough to provide a little protection and thin enough that you can still feel the board beneath your feet.

Finding River Waves

Visit Your Local Surf Shop

Finding river waves is easier than you might think. You can go to your local kayak, SUP or inland surf shop to find out where local spots are.

Go Online

You can even youtube river surfing in your area to find out about new waves. Another way is to search online for any info related to rafting and playboating. Another great way to find suitable waves is Google Earth.

Use the River Wave Map

Use the worldwide river surfing map or browse through the most comprehensive list of river waves here on Riverbreak.

Catching a River Wave

Catching a river wave is the hardest part about river surfing. There are a few different ways you can catch a river wave. The techniques may vary depending on what wave you are trying to catch.

Dropping in

Dropping into a river wave is the closest feeling to paddling into an ocean wave. To do this you will need to enter the river some distance above the river wave. Hop into the water and paddle up river to position yourself with the pocket of the river wave. Once you start to drop onto the river wave continue to paddle up river until you feel the board catch the wave.

Jumping in from the side

To jump into a wave from the side you need to position yourself nest to the wave on rocks or in the water. Make sure you have a good solid foundation to jump from. You will be facing up river next to the wave. Glide out onto the wave on the board in a prone position. Once on the wave take a few paddle strokes to ensure you catch the wave.

Acid dropping

This is one of the most fun and difficult ways to catch a river wave. You will need to position yourself on a solid platform or rock next to the wave. Face up river holding your board in your hand with the deck facing your body. You want to glide onto the board with your feet as smooth as possible with forward momentum onto the wave. Once you hit the pocket of the wave apply pressure with your front foot or back foot to straighten out on the wave.

Risks and Safety Measures

Be aware that there are significant risks involved in river surfing, so make sure you are familiar with the risks and safety measures in river surfing. Always ask local surfers, check the river at low-flow and look for any potential dangers upriver and downriver before you go in. Also, check out our information on leash safety.

Surf more, surf better & stay safe with these river surfing tips!

Don’t take it too seriously and have fun! Catching a wave and becoming comfortable will take some time. Hit me up on my social media with any questions.

Instagram: @alexandermauer
facebook.com/alex.mauer1
facebook.com/alexmauersup

The post River Surfing Tutorial for Beginners appeared first on Riverbreak.

We are absolutely stoked about River Surf Systems challenging the limits in wave building! Tell us something about your background Tanner.

Great to hear from you guys and thanks for spreading the stoke. I’m excited to get my info out there. My quick background is 30 years ocean surfing and three years of wake surfing. I’ve also have 25 years in commercial construction, seven of those as a construction project manager and a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Three years of physics in college.

What is your relation to the ocean or rivers surfing community?

I am an ocean surfer with a strong desire to be a river surfer. 2ndlight.com is my local forum for news, photos and stoke. But living in Orlando, I can’t claim to have a real surf community.

River surfers have been dreaming of a barreling river wave since forever. How could River Surf Systems make this dream come true?

Through exhaustive prototyping and experimentation, we are improving the formula for the most economical and feature-rich river waves possible. Barrels are not the end game. A static perfect barrel is an amazing step forward, but variety is the spice of life. These river waves also need variations if they are going to be compared to ocean waves. I have surfed so many perfect ocean waves that I want to bring to river surfing.

Where does your idea to build a barreling river wave come from?

For me this was not a quest to make a barreling river wave specifically. My overreaching goal is a more economical man-made surfing experience whose waves are on par with good ocean waves. I found that river surfing has a distinct advantage over wave pools. No pumps or machinery are needed to move the water. This is a large cost savings over traditional wave pools. The never-ending aspect is a nice bonus too.

Showcasing the many waves the Reef Pass system is capable of is a critical step to gathering support, especially the barrel. Barrels mesmerize people. Including me. I am elated that you guys like the look of the barrel and have given me this opportunity to speak about it.

How does your wave design differ from other wave designs? What are the components that your design is built on and how are they related?

I think current river surfing wave designs take inspiration from their environment. They mimic existing natural river waves and improve on them. I am approaching from a different point of view. I’m asking myself how can we make river waves shaped as good as any ocean wave.

My goal in prototyping was to make waves that looked like ocean waves.

Almost all man-made river waves use a bedform that is perpendicular to the flow. As such the wave is perpendicular to the river and mostly uniform from left to right. Some are hydraulic jumps and many are thick sheet flows.

The Reef Pass system has a deep channel on one side and a shallow curving sand bar on the other. It relies solely on the hydraulic jump phenomenon. On the deeper side of the channel the hydraulic jump is subcritical and a mounded clean green face. On the shallow side the hydraulic jump is a supercritical foamy whitewater. Where the two meet is the lip of the wave. Just like an ocean wave pealing down a point break.

What factors are responsible for the wave to barrel? What is the bottom contour like?

The bottom contour is modeled after a reef pass ocean surfing wave. Reef passes are some of the best ocean surfing waves out there.

To create the barrel, a hydraulic jump is controlled and caused to happen in the appropriate place on the Reef Pass bedform and roughly aligns with where a wave would break on a reef pass in real life. In more scientific terms, I am causing a hydraulic jump to simultaneously have all of its incremental depths (phases) and causing it to happen at an angle to the flow. The end result is a vortex known as a barrel to surfers.

How high will the wave be when you scale it up to full size? Can the wave be designed in different dimensions (small to overhead)?

The bottom contour is modeled after a reef pass ocean surfing wave. Reef passes are some of the best ocean surfing waves out there.

Wave size is completely dependent on flow. I am targeting a location that has excess of 4,000 CFS for at least a week out of the year. This will give us a 5 to 6 ft barreling wave at prime season.

River discharges often vary, usually depending on rainfall, dam releases, seasons, or other factors. How can this type of construction deal with changing river flows?

Dealing with variable flow rates and maintaining a surfable wave is a tough technical challenge. Luckily the answer is in the Reef Pass bed form. Some ocean reef passes break for a wide variety of wave sizes. A great example of this is Cloud Break. This world renowned south pacific reef break can be surfed from 2 ft to 20ft.

My prototype shows similar characteristics. At full flow it’s a nice five foot barrel. At half flow it’s a knee-high peeling long boarders wave. At ten percent flow it’s a young beginners long board lump.

So, this is actually an adjustable river wave?

Yes, the wave can be adjusted by manipulating the water flow. Using gates upstream and downstream can change the depth, speed, and direction of the flow, aka vectoring the flow. Depth and speed can control the hydraulic jump. Flow direction changes the angle of incident with the bedform thereby changing the slope the flow passes over.

Deeper, slower water gives softer waves. Faster, thinner water gives us square barrels. A good balance is needed. Synchronising these gates creates smoothly morphing waves of great variety.

A barrel can come to a close and give a tube spit. A racetrack wave can have a lip section for blasting airs or floaters. One moment the wave can be the deepest heavy square tube the next it can be a large soft mounded party wave with 5 SUPs hanging out and passing beers around. All while the river flow provided hasn’t changed.

What do you think will be the challenges when scaling up your model from the lab to the real world?

I think the biggest challenges for me are funding, permits, and living in Orlando. I would like to be involved in the construction process, but that’s hard to do from a thousand miles away.

Depending on the flow the surfing maneuvers would be large and world class.

You may have been asking that question from the point of view of technical wave challenges. With proper prototyping and accurate flow information, I don’t foresee any problems. My work on remodeling theme park rides and hospitals has given me a lot of experience overcoming technical challenges in fast paced sensitive environments.

What are the minimum flow requirements (cfs), drop etc. for your wave to work?

The Reef Pass system wasn’t designed to compete with existing low flow waves. If it is to make a barrel that can be squeezed into, it probably needs about 3,500 cfs. But more experimentation is needed to firm up that estimate.

Have you heard about the prototypes by McLaughlin and fresH20? What similarities or differences compared to your approach do you see?

I talked to Ben about his and Elijah’s wave, and mine, but we didn’t get into specifics of how each design works. We mostly ponder on why the ocean surf community doesn’t see what we see as an opportunity. We also talked about basic parameters of construction and flow. I don’t know the specifics of their wave. Their wave is a hydraulic jump and a barrel.

My goal in prototyping was to make waves that looked like ocean waves. I am happy with the way my waves look. They resemble ocean barrels and lines I want to surf.

Do you think the tube will be big enough for a surfer to actually hide behind the curtain?

A resounding yes … given we can build it at a location with enough flow.

What would be the main difference for a ocean surfer? What kind of maneuvers you think would be possible?

Compared to ocean surfing the main difference is ride time. Most ocean surfing happens 5 seconds at a time and then your ride is over and you’re looking for another wave. River surfing is near perpetual with respect to water flow. As long as the water is flowing, the wave is standing tall and steady. I anticipate the same maneuvers you see in ocean surfing will immediately adapt. Within a season or two, the groms will likely surprise us with never before seen maneuvers. It’s just what kids do.

How much would such a wave cost?

There are so many variables. The variable I am most interested in is how much flow is it being designed for? More flow means bigger waves, bigger overall installation and higher cost.

A nice steep racetrack wave with a lip would allow for more maneuvers than Eisbach currently does.

If this were to be installed at Riverports Rapids in Oklahoma it could be done for as little as $50k. Most of the whitewater kayak parks already have the infrastructure, especially the pumped ones. This would give us a wave similar in size to Eisbach in Germany, but with better shape. With this small of a water flow the barrel would be too small to squeeze into, but a nice steep racetrack wave with a lip would allow for more maneuvers than Eisbach currently does. This would be a great proving ground for the Reef Pass system.

If this were to be installed at the Ruins Wave in Ottawa I expect it would be closer to $5 million but would give us a stand-up, arms wide barrel. This is the dream. With this much flow the surfing maneuvers would be large and world class.

What other services do you offer? Wave design, feasibility studies, permitting, safety … ?

We excel at wave design and prototyping. We are pretty good at engineering, hydro physics, feasibility studies as it pertains to available flow, and construction project management. I believe Surf Anywhere and McLaughlin Whitewater would be better resources for Permitting, Construction Resourcing, Safety, and many of the other tasks needed to undertake and complete a project like this. Experienced teammates are an important resource.

When will we see this wave being built in an actual river? Any time soon?

I’m busting my ass to make it so. Any advice, help, or connections are appreciated.

Every river surfer dreams of a barreling wave in his backyard. How can people get in touch with you?

Send an email to Tanner@RiverSurfSystems.com

For more details on the prototype and technology please visit my website: RiverSurfSystems.com

Thanks so much for your time Tanner and keep the stoke alive!

Thank you too – really happy to talk surf with you!

The post River Surf Systems: River Waves Shaped As Good As The Best Ocean Waves appeared first on Riverbreak.

An acid drop is done in one motion where you jump on the board just before it hits the wave. Here’s the most important things to consider if you want to stick this trick:

• Grab the board in the middle with your back hand
• Spot your landing
• Make sure you don’t lean too far back, you want to be centred on your board or even just a little bit forward when dropping in
• Jump high enough to be able to get your board underneath you
• Stabilise on the board right after landing. You can also use the momentum you gained from the drop to generate speed for pulling off higher airs (see Flo Kummer and his infamous river surfing kickflip for instance)
• Try low heights first and then progress to drop from more extreme heights

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Dan Mateer has compiled this sequence shot of Ben Nielsen that allows you to convey the entire movement step-by-step (see photo sequence below). Also consider this tip by Ben: “Once you throw the board look where you want your feet to land.”

Photo: Dan Mateer capturing Ben Nielsen dropping onto Denver Wave.

Still not getting it right? One of the most common mistakes is lack of commitment — so if you wanna go, go for it! Once you go, you really got to commit to it!

Note: You are responsible for your actions (see disclaimer).

The post River Surfing Tricknology: How to Do an Acid Drop appeared first on Riverbreak.