All this damned short-sighted talk. One company is brave enough to peer into the future!

I’ve been reading some things (mostly comments on BeachGrit to be honest) about how climate change will destroy waves due to rising sea levels etc. and we’ll be bereft except for wave pools.

Our salvations!

Except how many dystopian movies do you watch? Waterworld is the only one I can think of that paints our future wet. All the others, Mad Max: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Fury Road, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, etc. paint it bone dry.

And so where are we going to get water to fill the Wavegarden and the @WSLWAVECO pools?

(frowny face)

Surf will be over.

But not if YouRiding Games has anything to say about it. They just released a surf simulator for your “ultimate virtual surf session!” Let’s read about it!

The Virtual Surf game constitutes the alliance of three avant-guarde technologies with the Oculus Rift, Microsoft Kinect and the YouRiding Games tech expertise – authentic specialists of surf video games since 2007. With these synergies, this 2.0 version gives the impression of being transported to the most beautiful surf breaks in the world.

The virtual waves have been barreling since last summer and over thirty thousand visitors to the surf museum in Biarritz (France) have shared the surf stoke… virtually.

Along with the amazing list of available waves, would-be surfers can know ride the hollowest reef wave on the planet… Teahupo’o in Tahiti. Plus, if long shreddable tubes are your cup of tea, then you would choose the long point break on Australia’s Gold Coast… Snapper Rocks.
Not to worry, all the epic waves from version 1.0 are still available (Côte des Basques, Belharra, Mundaka, La gravière, Lacanau).

Today, Virtual Surf gives the opportunity for everyone to “Get out of the barrel at Teahupo’o and follow the reflection of the sun in a glassy ocean… It is an incredible experience to live at least once, even without being a real surfer”, says Mike Jegat, founder of YouRiding Games. The team focuses deeply on the wave mechanics, the color of the ocean and the appearance in order to give the illusion that you are truly surfing real waves.

Taking full advantage of the current technologies, YouRiding is able to deliver beautiful graphics that put you directly in the surf. One of the coolest new features is implementing the position of the sun and it’s realistic reflection on the water’s surface. Your epic virtual sunset surf is waiting.

After taking off on the wave, the player can now start the wave with a Check Turn, slide into a ten second Barrel then exit the ever popular wave Claim. Follow that up with a Top turn, a Roller then a beautiful Cutback. Finally, regain speed in order to do an Air before the wave closes out. All that without having taken any risks or breaking a surfboard. This is the ultimate surfing experience!

To continue to be honest with you, I don’t think I’ll be a “surfer” in our dystopian future. That last paragraph, and this picture, really killed it for me. I’m not good at fixing cars either so my run on Fury Road will be short. I’m a horrible aim so won’t be able to hunt people for sport…

…ummm. Shoot. Maybe I’ll be a bartender and make delicious Soylent Green cocktails?

That might be valuable.