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People often ask me, Bob! Davis! How did you come up with the idea for Wave Blades? . It all started one rainy summer day 1987 in Long Beach New York during one of our nor'easters. The swell was running eight to ten foot, (that's from the front of course ) everyone and their brother was out surfing and bodyboarding. Since I was sitting on the inside picking off the barrels with late take offs as all bodysurfers can do and being the only bodysurfer that could get out in a hundred mile radius I was made into the token buoy marker. Everyone used my very bald and shinny head as their bottom turn marker. Not having the speed to beat anyone on the takeoffs or even in the wave I was left to eat alot of wakes. That's when I realized I needed to make something that would increase my speed but not hinder my bodysurfing style like most hand boards i.e. hand guns or swimming paddles do. I tried those and they just limited the way I usually ride. You see, I like riding with one arm back or both arms under me. I like to dolphin in the wave and do deep underwater takeoffs using the butterfly stroke so hand guns handboards with the typical strap across the top which are also very bulky were totally out of the question and those swimming paddles come off when your arms go back or under your belly. The watewr temperature was 42 degrees so I tried gluing a five millimeter glove to a speedo paddle to help my hand stay warm.. It worked O.K. but it still kept grabbing an edge and ripping back. I said to myself Bob! Davis! Thats how I talk to myself, Can I make a board that's lightweight, streamlined, easy to wear, adds speed and thrills and won't take away from the pure pleasure of bodysurfing. The heavens parted, the winds went off shore at five knots, the waves became a perfect eight foot with a forgiving shoulder, and the sea peacefully whispered back, YES ! YES! YOU CAN BOB! YOU CAN DO IT! I went right to it and designed an aerodynamic structure. Something that gave each finger control over the movement of the board. I decided to make the outside rail longer then the inside so more weight could be placed on it giving you the ability to hold a higher line in the wave . I designed the inner rail smaller so that it would be easier to swim with. I created a soft palm support to cushion the bumps and give you something to crab onto so that you can hold onto the board when it seems like it might come off. The board is injected with foam all around a five fingered three millimeter glove and then shaped by hand . The finished product is a hydro dynamically designed cross between a UFO and a Manta Ray and a Horse shoe crab. This board cannot come off your hand once it is on, no matter where you place your hand, unless you want to take it off. After a week of use it becomes an extension of your body and you dont even know they are there. After over twenty years of getting input from bodysurfers from all over the world the Wave Blade has changed considerably. I have tried not to let my ego get in the way of allowing the Waveblades to change over the years from hearing and implementing good ideas into the Waveblade design. That's why the Wave Blades are always changing and I like it that way. Its all about sharing ideas, having fun and doing what you love. And I love boadysurfing. And I love Pipe dreams that give your life purpose. So go find your pipe dream wheather you sell one or one million its more about sharing your stoke.