Flowboarding – Sexy Surfing

Was told that this form of sports’ the only way you go if you want consistent waves any time of the year and still get the same adrenaline like the real thing.

What I’m talking about? Flowboarding, a sort of new form of sports that’s hitting the beach around the world. At present, only 4 venues which includes Wave House San Diego, Wave House Durban, Wave House Santiago and the new Wave House Sentosa, as well as in many independent water parks and retail locations.

Flowboarders ride on artificial waves that are technically called “sheet waves.” Known technically as the WaveLoch FlowRider® and the FlowBarrel®, these sheet waves are the patented constructions of Wave Loch, Inc. which is headquartered in La Jolla, California. Powerful pumps project a three-inch layer of water at speeds ranging from 20 MPH to 30 MPH. The water flows up and over surfaces engineered to replicate the shape of ocean waves. Sheet waves are stationary waves, in that the wave does not move forward, and the movement is derived from water flowing over a stationary surface. Flowboarders get their speed from the energy of the water flowing at them, and can perform basic to sophisticated turns and tricks within a relatively small area.

The technical descrīption for sheet wave from patent application 5,401,117, dated March 28, 1995 reads: “A sheet flow is where the water depth is sufficiently shallow such that the pressure disturbance caused by a rider and his vehicle are generally known as the ‘ground effect.’ This provides for an inherently more stable ride, thus requiring less skill to catch and ride a wave.’”

I managed to catch up with some participants from the USA and South Africa recently when they came to South East Asia for one of their Championship Leg. South Africa goes into the history book as the inaugural title holders for the 2009 International FLOW (Flowboarding League Of the World) Championships with three scintillating finals that carved a new era in the phenomenal sport of flowboarding. Here’s some photos from the Finals. Do let me know what you think of the photos. More photos available here

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