The Subwing came from the mind of Norwegian 18-year-old Simon Sivertsen during a sail trip in the Mediterranean in the summer of 2010. From then, Subwing has grown into becoming an innovative company with customers all over the world. Here is the story told by the inventor himself:
- It all started in the beginning of the summer of 2010, back then I was 18 years old. My brother, father and I were going to attempt a circumnavigation around the globe. We had bought a sailboat in Turkey and started our journey from there.
The seed of an idea
When sailing through the Greek islands, I was astounded by the clarity of the water, it almost felt like flying when diving, just missing the speed and thrill. The first ideas of an underwater wing, towed behind a boat, started emerging deep in the right hemisphere of my brain.
Testing with driftwood
A piece of driftwood was perfectly suited for a first simple test of the concept. A waterski rope was attached to the plank and pulled by our small RIB. The idea worked and I was able to control the up/downward moment without too much effort. But it was far from perfect and felt somewhat static, like a 2D videogame it was missing a third dimension.
The prototype that changed the game
After sailing for some weeks we arrived in Italy, and a new idea had evolved on paper. A simple, but clever solution which involved two separate fins (or wings which we like call it) connected together with a rotatable joint. We went to the local supermarket and hardware store and bought two chopping boards, some gardening hose connector links and some fiberglass. After a lot of mess and with limited access to proper tools, the very first Subwing was created at sea.
After discovering the incredible dynamic handling one could achieve underwater with this contraption, it was no doubt this was a great idea which possibly could evolve into a whole new watersport if made available for the public.
The dream of navigating the globe was set on hold and we sailed home to Norway.
Testing testing testing
Since then, many prototypes have been developed, and a lot of testing has been done. Not even the cold winter of Norway could stop us from jumping in the sea to perform essential testing. Even if it meant we had to wrap our heads with duct tape, to prevent icy water entering the wetsuit.
The future
Now as the product is launched and is selling to customers all over the world, we will dedicate our work to further develop the SUBWING and inventing new innovations.
I would personally like to thank every Subwing customers and I hope our product contributes to the joyful moments of your life.
If you have any suggestions, criticism, or just want to learn more about the SUBWING, do not hesitate contacting us by email or Facebook.
-Simon Sivertsen
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