Sea Isle City —
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The wave looks perfect. Your muscles are taut. Your concentration is steady. You hit it just right, and as your surfboard cuts through the water, you feel like you’re going faster than ever before.

Actually, you don’t feel like you’re going faster. You are going faster.

And this isn’t thanks to an intense training regimen or a sudden improvement in ocean waves.

It’s thanks to Surf Nano Products.

Andy Giordano, right, and his brother-in-law, Howard Loveless, are the owners of SNP, which is using nanotechnology to make surfboards move faster through the water.

“We are literally changing the speed of surfing,” said Andy Giordano.

Giordano and his brother-in-law, Howard Loveless, are the owners of SNP, a business based in Sea Isle City. The Seaville residents started the company in January, and in the past few months its popularity has started to take off. They have acquired global rights to the water and snow-sport industry. The surf team sponsored by Heritage Surf Shops uses the product. International surf magazines want to test it.

“The feedback is nothing but positive,” Giordano said. “It’s right on the verge now.”

The Technology

Nanotechnology – the study of the control of matter at a molecular scale – started a decade ago, and the field has crept into the forefront of science research in the past few years.

Giordano saw the effects of a nanotech product on a windshield last year, and the experience caused him to wonder how a similar product would work on a surfboard. He created the product – called Board Enhancer – and tested it in December.

He felt the difference.

“Nanotechnology refers to the science of matter at a very small scale. The Greek word nano means dwarf,” Giordano explained. “When you use this technology, it literally fills the pores on any given surface and creates an ultra thin invisible coating that repels water. For a surfboard application, that equals to reducing or eliminating drag. It creates an air effect under the board that creates speed never before experienced.”

This change in speed can be achieved easily and at a low cost, too.

Cost and Application

“One of my goals was to make it very affordable. In one pack, you can use up to four applications depending on the size of the board. One application lasts up to six months depending on the surfer’s handling of the board,” Giordano said.

For the $39.95 retail, this equates to approximately $10 per application over a two-year period.

To apply, the bottom of a surfboard needs to be clean of salt water, wax and residue. The board is wiped down with a rag and the enclosed cleaner. Next, the enhancer is applied with the enclosed foam pad in a circular motion – to the board bottom, rails and fins. After it air dries – or cures – for an hour, it is wiped down with the enclosed microfiber towel.

“That makes the board ready to go surfing,” Giordano said. “It’s very simple.”

Giordano said there also isn’t a worry of reapplying too soon.

“The average human hair is 80,000 nanometers wide,” Giordano said. “The Board Enhancer is 30 nanometers thick. The application is so microscopic, you can reapply it without having any kind of buildup whatsoever.”

Current involvement

The SNP Board Enhancer is being used by the Heritage surf team, being tested (with strong results, said Giordano) in Indonesia and being used by other local surfers. The Ocean City High School surf team has expressed interest in trying out the product.

“I’ve seen the claims time and time again to help make your board faster and none so far has really worked, so let’s just say I was skeptical but open minded,” Heritage Surf and Sport owner Brian Heritage said. “After a few team riders actually said they felt the boards had less friction in round house cut backs and they accelerated through the turns better, I decided to try it on my personal boards. The nanotechnology actually has some merit and I felt like my board had a little extra squirt out of the turns.”

Mundo Rad, a surf magazine out of Puerto Rico, is publishing an article on the product soon. Trans World magazine recently contacted Giordano and Loveless to test the product on the pros.

Giordano said they have also been in talks with Joe Gratola and Lisa Reselli, the district directors for the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) to get a sponsor with that organization.

“The great thing about it is we’re so excited because we know it works every time,” Giordano said. “We always get the same response: What is this?”

The product has a crossover potential from water sports – like paddleboard, kiteboard, sail boards, wake boards, water skies and personal water crafts – to snow boards and snow skies.

Giving back

“As we go along, we feel strongly about giving back to the community,” Giordano said.

Locally, Giordano and Loveless have already reached out to the Brendan Borek Foundation out of Avalon. The charity helped Giordano’s family many years ago. Giordano said wherever they end up, they’ll work to donate proceeds towards charitable foundations.

“It’s not all about taking,” he said, “it’s about giving, too. That’s our goal, and we’re going to keep it in the forefront as we move along.”

Where to find it

Surf Nano Product purchases can be made online at www.surfnanoproducts.com. Locally, the product can also be purchased at Heritage Surf and Sport (in Sea Isle City, Ocean City and Margate), and Seventh Street Surf Shop and Surf Supplies, both in Ocean City.