Blea Shark e-surfboards let you surf on flat water at 30 miles per hour

By Luke Dormehl Published April 25, 2023

Have you ever dreamed of getting into surfing, but wanted to flatten out the learning curve a little bit before you set foot in the ocean? If so, you may be interested in a new pair of electric surfboards which recently surfaced on Kickstarter. Called Blea Shark, the relatively low-priced e-surfboards promise you up to 70 minutes of surfing, a top speed of 20-30 miles per hour, and a learning time of only around five minutes, even for folks who have never tried surfing before.

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“I was a surf coach and many of my students are from inland areas,” Singapore-based creator Ryan Chen told Digital Trends. “They need to travel hundreds of miles away to just get to the beach. I was inspired by electric scooters and thought, ‘Why not build a motor to push the surfboard so that they can surf in any water area near their hometown, like rivers, lakes, or ponds?’” Blea Shark was the result.

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The campaign involves two different surfboards under the Blea Shark banner. The reinforced polymer Shark Performance weighs 66 lbs, including its swappable battery, and boasts a top speed of 20 miles per hour. The Shark Sport, meanwhile, is constructed out of carbon fiber, weighs a slightly lighter 60 lbs, and can travel at up to 30 miles per hour. Speed for both models is controlled using a handheld throttle, and both come with a kill switch to stop the board shooting off without you in the event that you take an unintended plunge.

If you are interested in getting your hands (and, well, feet) on the boards, you can currently pledge on the firm’s Kickstarter page. As always, we suggest that any would-be funders make themselves aware of the risks associated with crowdfunding first. If you do wish to proceed, however, the Performance and Sport boards start at $2,900 and $3,900, respectively — although those prices are only available to the earliest buyers.

Should all go according to plan, shipping for the two boards is set to take place in July. For those keeping track at home, that’s just in time to show off your fancy e-assisted moves at the beach this summer!

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I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…

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