Now, There's No Excuse for Not Being Amp'd

Andy Irons dropping in at Waimea - bet he checked his Amp'd Mobile phone for wave info before paddling out

Standing under the railroad tracks at Uppers the other day I watched dejectedly as soft, mediocre lines pushed gutlessly through to the inside. Instead of hopping back in the car, wasting more time and money as gas prices continue to soar, I flipped open my cell phone and was able to instantly access cameras focused on all the nearby spots. Honing in on clean peelers at Swami’s, I jumped back in my car and scored without much effort.

Sound like a surfing sci-fi dream come true? Now it can be for anyone who uses Amp’d Mobile as their cell-phone service provider.

Amp’d Mobile, the first integrated mobile entertainment company for young professionals, has added WaveWatch to its growing list of electronic entertainment options. The immensely popular website Wavewatch.com provides a broad range of free surf cameras, reports and forecasts, but until now had only been available only via the computer.

The mobile version of WaveWatch, available exclusively on Amp’d mobile phones, offers surfers and ocean enthusiasts easy access to 19 live wave cameras positioned at major surf breaks in the U.S. and Hawaii, daily updated worldwide surf forecasts, tide charts, water temperatures and more, all made possible via Amp’d’s wireless high-speed data network.

“I’m always on the go,” explains Sunny Garcia, former WCT world champion, six-time Vans Triple Crown Champion and avid Amp’d mobile user. “So it’s pretty cool that I can see live video from surf spots wherever I’m at right on my Amp’d phone.”

Amp'd Mobile Check out Bruce and Dane give snowboarding a try at the Amp'd Mountain Lab Watch Andy, Parko and crew go nuts in enormous barrels at Shipsterns Bluff

Amp’d has also shown its commitment to surfing by sponsoring top pros Andy Irons, Sunny Garcia and Bruce Irons. Amp’d recently offered a simulcast of the semifinals and finals of the Body Glove Surfbout last weekend — a first for a mobile phone provider — and surely not the last.

The beauty of Amp’d’s access to WaveWatch is the simplicity. With the flip of a phone, no matter where you are, you can check the waves at a variety of locations. The technology is straightforward, easy to use, and makes it that much smoother to haul from Trestles to Swami’s if you know you’re going to score.