Stab Magazine | When a billionaire goes wave pool shopping!

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

937 Views

When a billionaire goes wave pool shopping!

Words by Morgan Williamson Nick Woodman’s a gent you may know. Or, maybe not. Regardless, you know his work: GoPro. See, Nick is the slick CEO and founder of the little camera that’s taking over the world. Here’s something you may not know: he’s the richest cat in surfing! And in this case, ‘rich’ means he’s […]

news // Mar 8, 2016
Words by stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Words by Morgan Williamson

Nick Woodman’s a gent you may know. Or, maybe not. Regardless, you know his work: GoPro. See, Nick is the slick CEO and founder of the little camera that’s taking over the world. Here’s something you may not know: he’s the richest cat in surfing! And in this case, ‘rich’ means he’s a fucking billionaire. As of today, Mr Woodman is worth a cushy three comas, eight zeros, fore-fronted by a two and seven. He’s sitting at #73 on the Forbes Richest People in Tech list, with a self-made score of eight. That’s in the excellent range!

He’s our Richard Branson, a walking blend of cash and visionary ideas. As Mr Branson seeks to send commercial flights to the moon (although Elon Musk is rather closer), Nick seeks to build the world’s greatest artificial wave. And if there’s one thing in surfing that’s a buzz term right now (besides sharks), it’s wavepools. A utopian dream removed from the unpredictable coastline. A wave unaffected by wind and swell, that you can set from waist high-plus, to tunnels, wedges and open face. Geared towards whatever’s your flavour.

Mr Woodman and GoPro Ambassador Kalani Robb took a recent trip to Snowdonia to dine on the hype. A friendly sampling of potential competition? Snowdonia may be considered the world’s best wavepool at present, but the technology can be better. The current trajectory of surfing’s evolution is very exciting. The richest surfer in the world, who wants to build his own wavepool, flies his private jet to an already existing wavepool in the UK, to test it on opening day… you can’t make it up.

So, we’re rooting for Mr Woodman. He may not surf at a high performance level, but he’s a surf-dork of the highest order, and we say that with endearing respect. The world needs men like Nick, people who see more than the present. The new order of understanding that as we advance, tech is king. After all, he created a camera that outclassed Sony, which is a feat itself. This cat beat the Japanese tech industry! He’ll get his backing, because he’s proven himself as a fucking doer. Having the world’s richest surfer with his sights set on building the world’s greatest wavepool, is better than anyone else trying to build a wavepool – we all want to, but he can deliver.

That’s the thing here; If Nick wants to build a wavepool, the odds are on his side. He’s got more of a chance to make it great than you, me, Greg Webber or Kelly Slater. Who knows? The man who made the most user-friendly action camera in the world could create the most user-friendly wavepool. Next thing we know, we’ll have little wavepool HERO4s in our backyards. Who’s to say a man can’t dream?

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement