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Old 06-08-2013, 09:49 AM   #25
NH_boater
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Quote:
Originally Posted by This'nThat View Post
Of course this is a complete fake. The Laws of Physics won't allow this to happen.

First, Newton's Laws: For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. The action, in this case, is the boat going forward. The reaction is -- the water that is pushed backwards. The boat's propeller is pushing a lot of water backwards. Which will prevent the "surfer" from moving forward without the assistance of the rope tow. He's trying to make us believe the small wake behind the boat is sufficient to overcome this propeller wash. It isn't -- big time.

Second, gravity isn't assisting the "surfer" in this video. During ocean wave surfing, the surfer actually uses gravity to propel forward. Gravity is made available by the constantly increasing size of the wave. As an ocean wave approaches shore, it becomes higher as a result of the wave's energy traveling over more and more shallow conditions. The wave's energy causes the wave size to increase and turn nearly vertical. The surfer rides this front edge of the wave, and essentially continues to "fall" as the wave pushes him to shore. Without this effect, a wave is essentially non-surfable (if that's a word). A boat wake isn't a surfable wave.

Basically, this video is trying to make us believe that the boat's forward momentum is causing a wave condition that is also moving forward at the boat's speed, and has sufficient energy to carry the surfer with it. Folks -- this is physically impossible.
I think the physics make this very possible. I think this is real. I think the camera work implies he is the only person on board, which I expect is the only fake part. The wave is just like a surfing wave, moving forward and producing a surf-able shape, propelling the surfer.
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