New Atlas

Outdoors Audio available

Boardswag rolls out a surfboard bag that doubles as an inflatable tent

C.C. Weiss February 11, 2019

Love the idea of cruising the coast in a two-story surf motorhome or small camper van but are looking to go lighter and cheaper ... much lighter and cheaper? Australia's Boardswag has just the thing, a surfboard bag that transforms into a one-person tent with a few pumps of air.

The Boardswag measures 7 x 4 x 4 feet and is designed to sleep one person

Outdoors Audio available

World's largest surfing lagoon to be built in Korea

Ben Coxworth February 6, 2019

Wavegarden has already started construction on artificial surf parks in the UK and Australia, with others in the works. Now the Spanish firm is taking things up a notch, as it's begun development on a Korean project that will reportedly be the world's largest surfing lagoon.

An illustration of Turtle Island, with Wavegarden Cove visible on the right

Marine

Light up surfboards could keep sharks at bay

Nick Lavars April 10, 2018

Interfering with a shark's sensory system is one of the ways scientists believe we may be able to keep beachgoers safe. Now researchers in Australia (where else?) are exploring a new way of deterring these apex predators, by fixing lights to surfboards to obscure their view.

Can cleverly placed lights keep surfers safe?

Digital Cameras

Gallery: Wondrous waves in Nikon's surf photography awards

Rich Haridy March 19, 2018

The winner of Nikon’s annual Surf Photo of the Year has been been awarded to Trent Mitchell for his remarkable image entitled Unbound from a collection he has been working on for over five years. The Australian-based photographic competition celebrates the “best of the best” in surf photography.

Bicycles

Vintage special edition e-bike could replace the VW bus for chasing waves

Nick Lavars March 1, 2018

Vintage Electric offers a few e-bike options for getting around California, and for its latest ride it has enlisted one the Golden State's most iconic figures. The Jeff Clark Signature Cruz has the legend's fingerprints all over it, and offers fellow surfers a stylish way to cruise to the beach.

Vintage Electric plans to only produce 20 of the Signature Cruz e-bikes

Health & Wellbeing

Large meta-study suggests swimming in the sea makes you sick

Rich Haridy February 27, 2018

A large-scale meta-study out of the University of Exeter has found that people who swim in the ocean have a higher risk of contracting ear ailments and gastrointestinal distress that non-sea bathers – with pollution suggested as a major factor.

A large-scale meta-study has found that people who swim in the ocean are at a higher ...

Science

Seawater-swallowing surfers harbor higher levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria

Rich Haridy January 15, 2018

A UK study has found that regular surfers were three times more likely to have an antibiotic resistant strain of E. coli bacteria in their gut than non-surfers, suggesting surfers are more likely to be at risk from these microorganisms.

An antibiotic resistant form of E.coli is more likely to be found in the guts of ...

Outdoors

Collapsible Bavarian trailer hauls gear by bicycle or foot power

C.C. Weiss August 11, 2017

The latest player in the man trailer segment, the Reacha sports utility trailer can be pulled by hand or by bike and uses a modular design to better adjust to your needs. It also breaks down into a shoulder bag for easy carry and storage.

The Reacha can roll with a variety of wheels from 20 to 28 in

Marine

Surf's up: Jetfoiler rises above the canals of Amsterdam

Eric Mack April 10, 2017

The same brain behind the airborne wind turbine that was acquired by Google has set his sights on a more down-to-earth goal: making just about any body of water surfable. Former professional windsurfer and inventor Don Montague recently tried out his "Jetfoiler" on the canals of Amsterdam.

Inventor Don Montague rides his Jetfoiler board along Amsterdam's canals

Marine

The wettest, wildest water toys of 2016

C.C. Weiss December 5, 2016

Now that 2016's jetting toward a close, we've gone back through our coverage to bring you our very favorite water toys in a list that includes multifunctional jet drives, floating multi-person lounges, folding and inflatable watercraft, deep-diving personal submarines and more.

We revisit our favorite water toys of 2016