The innovative new V1 wetsuit from Billabong
Earlier this year a surfer in Hawaii set a world record paddling into a 57-foot wave off Maui, and his secret weapon was something straight out of a James Bond movie – a self-inflating wetsuit!
The surfer was Shane Dorian and the wetsuit was the new Billabong V1. It’s been described by experts as a total game changer, and it’s easy to see why! For a long time we’ve heard about the dangers of being pushed under by a huge wave, and what this wetsuit does is offer an element of safety to big-wave surfers like Dorian.
Billabong V1 Inflatable Wetsuit
So what’s the secret? When a surfer finds themselves deep underwater, they simply pull the shoulder-mounted ripcord, which inflates the back-mounted air bladder with a small carbon dioxide cartridge. You don’t even need to swim, just let the wetsuit take you back to the surface.
Dorian’s idea for the wetsuit came about last year after he experienced one of the worst wipeouts of his life, and only narrowly escaped drowning. He wanted a wetsuit which would improve safety for the big wave surfers, and took his suggestion to Billabong.
They went away and got a bit of know-how from a team of military equipment manufacturers, who were able to offer advice on designing the underwater air bladder. A prototype of the Billabong V1 wetsuit was created and then tested by Dorian , first in calm waters, then the real test – the Cortes Bank, an open ocean surf-break 100 miles off the coast of California.
The test went exactly as hoped. After being pulled underwater following a bad wipeout, Dorian would have been in big trouble without the V1 wetsuit. He yanked the cord, and it inflated and carried him swiftly up to the surface. Success!
V1 Wetsuit Release
Billabong is still waiting for the patent for the V1 technology, and hasn’t announced when the suit will be available on the market yet. It looks like a winner though, so hats off to Billabong for a genuinely groundbreaking piece of innovation!
Billabong V1 Wetsuit Video
Here is Shane Dorian himself, introducing the Billabong V1 big wave floatation wetsuit:
Visit the Wetsuit Centre for the latest Billabong wetsuits
