Flowboarding is a late-20th Century alternative boardsport that is an alchemy of board designs, techniques, tricks and culture derived from surfing, bodyboarding, skateboarding, skimboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding.

Flowboarders ride on artificial waves that are technically called “sheet waves.” Known technically as the WaveLoch FlowRider and the FlowBarrel, these sheet waves are the patented constructions of Wave Loch, Inc. which is headquartered in La Jolla, California. Powerful pumps project a three-inch layer of water at speeds ranging from 20 MPH to 30 MPH. The water flows up and over surfaces engineered to replicate the shape of ocean waves. Sheet waves are stationary waves, in that the wave does not move forward, and the movement is derived from water flowing over a stationary surface. Flowboarders get their speed from the energy of the water flowing at them, and can perform basic to sophisticated turns and tricks within a relatively small area.

The technical description for sheet wave from patent application 5,401,117, dated March 28, 1995 reads: “A sheet flow is where the water depth is sufficiently shallow such that the pressure disturbance caused by a rider and his vehicle are generally known as the ‘ground effect.’ This provides for an inherently more stable ride, thus requiring less skill to catch and ride a wave.’”

Participants ride standard bodyboards in the prone or kneeling position. Stand up flowboards are constructed like wakeboards: A foam core wrapped with fiberglass, but with a soft EVA edge (ethylene vinyl acetate) to offer protection. Some flowboards come with footstraps, while some flowboarders prefer to ride unstrapped. Flowboards range in length from: 910 millimeters (36 inches) to 1070 millimeters (42 inches); and in width from 280 millimeters (11 inches) to 356 millimeters (14 inches). They weigh between 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) and 2.8 kilograms (6 pounds).

FlowRiders and FlowBarrels can be found at any of the International Wave House locations, including Wave House San Diego, Wave House Durban, Wave House Santiago and Wave House Sentosa, as well as in many independent water parks and retail locations. Visit the Wave Loch website to see a list of locations.

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