“That was the best wave of my life!” Said by every surfer at least once per session. “I got tubed, did 3 turns, and then an air to finish! Didn’t you see it?”
“Uhh, no dude.. Although, I did see you completely eat it on the wave before..”
This unfortunate situation is more common than not.. Everyone somehow notices when you get sucked over the falls, but when you finally get the glorious stand-up barrel you’ve been waiting for, no one sees it, or (even worse) believes you.
Now-a-days, you never see a serious athlete without some sort of device recording their data. Whether it is a heart monitor tracking beats per minute, a runner’s watch displaying distance, or even a pedometer counting your steps on a morning walk, technology is giving us valuable insight into our favorite activities.
And now, technology in surfing has caught on in a big way that is significantly changing our sport. As of now, there are 2 prominent devices at our disposal that generate valuable data to complement any surf session.
The first device that we will cover is TRACE. At about the size of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, TRACE is jam packed with inertial sensors, GPS antennae, gyroscopes, and accelerometers to keep track of your session on multiple levels. You can pick up your TRACE online for about $199.99
Here are TRACE’s main features:
Wave Counter– Review the number of waves ridden after your session through your smartphone or computer
Wave Tracker – Review the path of each wave you caught by GPS. Overlay your rides on Google maps to see each wave’s actual track.
Distance recorder – Review your overall paddling distance and surfing distance
Speed – Review your surfing speed for each wave. See what part of the wave gave you the most speed
Turns completed – Review how many turns you do, where on the wave you’re doing them, and to what degree.
Airs completed – Review where on the wave and at what height you’re boosting your aerial
maneuvers.
Online Community – Review other TRACE user’s sessions with the TRACE APP and upload your own. Check out who scored the longest wave of the day or who had the top speed. You can even follow the pros surfing the best spots on the planet
Video Editor – This may be the coolest feature that TRACE offers. If you managed to take video (from the beach or by Go-Pro) at the same time of using TRACE, the unique editing program will cut out the waiting, find your waves, and sync up your data to produce a futuristic-like video with your stats overlaid.
Here are the most informative videos about TRACE. Click on the images below to open each video
The second device we will cover is RipCurl’s new watch, the Ripcurl Search GPS. Surf watches have been around for quite a while, but they haven’t gone much further than telling us the tides of our favorite local spot. Ripcurl has certainly set a new bar in watch technology that all others will eventually follow. You can buy your Ripcurl Search GPS for about $400.
Here are the watch’s main features:
Tide Chart – Monitor the tides for the day at your given location. Decipher whether the tide is rising, dropping, the tidal range, etc.
Wave Counter – Review the number of waves ridden after your session through your smartphone or computer.
Session timer – Review your time in the water to see how long you’ve been shredding!
Wave Tracker – Review the path of each wave you caught by GPS. Overlay your rides on Google maps to see each wave’s actual track.
Distance recorder – Review your overall paddling distance and surfing distance
Speed – Review your surfing speed for each wave
Online Community – Review other Ripcurls Search GPS user’s sessions with the APP and upload your own. Check out who scored the longest wave of the day or who had the top speed.
Here are the most informative videos about the Ripcurl . Click on the images below to open each video
Overall, both devices are revolutionary in our sport. Both are extremely useful for improving your individual surfing while also keeping a handy surf diary for each session. Although both devices have similar features, I would say the TRACE is loaded with more features making it the better buy. Also, for a price tag that’s $200 less than the Ripcurl’s Search GPS Watch, the TRACE will keep your pockets lined as well.
