The best airs ever done in a wave pool? Team Firewire rides the Groove. | Firewire Surfboards

Press play to join Rob Kelly and Kevin Schulz in Brazil for the unveiling of American Wave Machines' latest creation, the new PerfectSwell™️ wave pool in São Paulo. The result? Three straight days of jaw-dropping fresh water surfing shot by Bruno Zanin (@brunozanin_) on the most high-performance shape Rob Machado's ever designed, the Groove in Helium Technology.

Rob Kelly, an employee of American Wave Machines, invited Orange County firefighter Kevin Schulz to Brazil for a quick strike mission. They both brought their quiver of Rob Machado shapes and spent most of their session riding the all-new Firewire Surfboards Groove in Helium Technology by Rob Machado. Kevin also brought a Machadocado in Helium Technology, and was able to get a side-by-side comparison across the newly invented air sections offered by PerfectSwell™️, including the all-new McFly air section.

Fully equipped with the Machado Groove Fin Set, Rob Kelly was riding his stock 5'6" Groove as a Thruster, and Kevin was riding his stock 5'6" Groove as a Quad.

Shop the Groove in USA: https://bit.ly/3FsUZxj
Shop the Groove in ANZ: https://bit.ly/4iq6JiF
Shop the Groove in EU: https://bit.ly/4imf9ro
Shop the Groove in UK: https://bit.ly/43InaCq

MORE ON THE GROOVE SHAPE
This shape still has the hybrid DNA Rob's known for, but it's the closest thing to a high-performance shortboard Rob's ever created. The Groove's rocker and tail template bring this shape back into the world of being able to come square off the bottom and go square off the lip, what everyone calls 'high-performance surfing.' Rob added in more rocker than his typical shapes, with a tail rocker that puts you tight in the pocket and elevated nose rocker to help you come down tight off the lip without catching your nose. As Rob explains, "all surfboards have a balance of speed and control, and the Groove is all about controlling the speed a good wave gives you. It's the most responsive, high-performance board I've ever designed."

For Wave Type, this shape excels in just about everything. It'll work if you take it on a boat trip. "I build versatility into every design he shapes," says Rob Machado. "I build speed and ease-of-use in every surfboard I make."

For Board Features, Rob says, "thinned out the foil, narrowed the tail block. Added a cute little squash tail. And much more rocker than I've been riding the last several years. I tapped into all my performance DNA that was in my shapes in the 90s, and added sprinkles of my recent design work, making surfboards that are fast, floaty and fun in all conditions."

Follow us on Instagram:
  / firewiresurfboards  
  / rob_machado  
  / rob_machado_surfboards