Editor’s Note: Disruptors is a new series powered by Oakley that identifies the thirty most groundbreaking moments in surf history. Check out more historic moments here.
Top turn shot with the Hero 3+. This Merrick is a magic board given to me by Bethany Hamilton. GoPro made me this neat surf handle that works well. A bit akward to paddle with it in your mouth, though, as it feels like I am getting waterboarded. Photo: Mike Coots
Date: October, 2001
Location: San Diego, California
Moment: Before leaving on a surf trip, Nick Woodman had the idea to develop a wrist strap that would hold a disposable camera. Before long, that little idea spawned one of the most successful camera companies of all time.
“For inspiration, I went surfing. I planned a five month surf trip around Australia and Indonesia. The inspiration came before I even left – I wanted to capture photos of myself and my friends that I was going on the trip with out in the water.” – Nick Woodman, GoPro Founder
In early 2002, GoPro Founder Nick Woodman, along with a group of close friends, road-tripped the coasts of Australia searching for surf. Living out of a van for weeks on end, the group chased swells across the continent attempted to record both their dust covered memories, and more importantly their waves, from the beach. However, with each barrel, the crew grew tired of missed waves and missed moments. They wished they could “go pro” so someone might actually document their waves. Who would have thought it was a billion dollar idea?
Woodman decided it might be possible to develop a wearable camera that was so comfortable the surfer forgot it was there. Two years later, GoPro sold its first personal surf camera. The first camera used 35mm film. The next version recorded 10-second clips. Even with these simple beginnings, GoPro quickly gained popularity and credibility. The wearable camera quickly replaced the outdated and unreliable disposable waterproof camera that preceded it. GoPro continued to evolve, and the company continued to release new models. A 3-megapixel digital camera soon replaced the previous model, and more recently, GoPro debuted an HD fixed lens video camera that shoots 170-degree angles.
By making high quality cameras accessible and relatively affordable to the average surfer, GoPro revolutionized the world of surf photography and videography. Previously, only top pros had access to high quality surf shots and video. Average surfers had limited access to photographs taken by local photographers. These photographers might sell a few images of local surfers online, but usually these images could be difficult to track down. For this reason, most of the time, great waves remained only vivid images in a surfer’s memory. However, GoPro cameras made it possible for surfers to document nearly every wave in every session.
With the simultaneous rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, timing was everything. One might argue that without the proliferation of social media, the “surfing selfie” and, ultimately, GoPro would never have become household staples. Unlike many other social media users, surfers did not use these shots to include duck faces and bathroom pics. However, for the first time, surfers could post high quality surf pictures and videos of themselves on these platforms. GoPro allowed surfers to share this part of their life with all their social media friends – from relatives to friends to colleagues. In an age of digital interaction, GoPro photography catapulted surf photos onto the news feeds of surfers around the world, and it helped foster a new generation of amateur surf photographers.
