industry news

WaveJet Signs Jesse Billauer

Billauer is the founder of ‘Life Rolls On’ and a modern surfing icon

| posted on February 05, 2013

Alex Gray and Billauer share a wave in Hawaii. Photo: Lugo

WaveJet announced today that it has signed California professional surfer and founder of the inspirational Life Rolls On foundation, Jesse Billauer, as a WaveJet team rider. Billauer, 33, spent the first 17 years of his life training and successfully building his career as a professional surfer. In 1996, following a surfing accident, Jesse suffered a complete spinal cord injury, cutting short that planned career. During his recovery, not willing to let his accident get the best of him, Billauer founded Life Rolls On, an organization committed to enabling spinal cord injury adaptive athletes to continue to surf and skate throughout their lives. Billauer has continued to push the boundaries of what is possible and has continued to live his dream as a professional surfer working with the best in the industry, while constantly reminding the world that anything is possible. Billauer looks forward to this new beginning with WaveJet, commenting, “WaveJet has changed my life. It has changed my friends’ lives as well. It has allowed me to have more independence in the water allowing my friends to not feel like I am solely dependent on their assistance. WaveJet has allowed me to challenge myself and my wave knowledge skills and has brought a whole new way for me too look at my next surf session. I feel so lucky and blessed to have this technology at my fingertips now. I have lots of wave catching up to do. I’m so stoked.”

WaveJet has been providing WaveJet systems for Life Rolls On ‘They Will Surf Again’ events since 2011 and designed Billauer’s first WaveJet in 2012. “Since the inception of WaveJet, we’ve realized that there are so many uses for this technology and so many ways that it can optimize time in water,” commented WaveJet founder and CEO, Mike Railey. “I am truly humbled and honored to know that this technology that we developed could take Jesse’s and other athletes’ surfing to the next level. We are stoked to have him on our team.”

Spending time with the WaveJet team on Oahu’s North Shore in 2012 to test the product flanked by numerous members of the professional surfing community, Billauer was able to advance his performance like never before. “Being involved with Life Rolls On and getting to know Jesse the last few years and then seeing the impact that our technology could have on his surfing in Hawaii made it so clear to us that he could be a huge asset to our organization and a fantastic addition to our team,” says WaveJet Global Director of Sales, Marketing and Corporate Strategy, Kelly Virgulto. “Jesse is a huge inspiration to the world, and anything we can do to support him and his surfing is an incredible opportunity.”

Joining Florida surfing legend and aerial specialist, Cory Lopez and big wave champion and Guinness world record holder Garrett McNamara on Team WaveJet, Billauer will help to provide another perspective that will contribute to the further development and applications of WaveJet technology. Billauer will also be a huge part of the development and utilization of WaveJet applications for adaptive athletes.

ABOUT WAVEJET
WaveJet is the first patented Personal Water Propulsion (PWP) system designed for use in surfboards, SUPs, kayaks, rescue boards, body boards, scuba gear, and light boats. Powered by twin-lithium ion batteries with twin jet drives, WaveJet is capable of 20 pounds of thrust, has a continuous run-time of up to 60 minutes, is activated through a wireless wrist controller and recharges in a standard wall socket. At 3 to 5 times faster than paddling a surfboard, WaveJet is safe, quiet and light, and can equally to conquer big waves and enable surfers and paddle boarders to have more fun and optimize their time in the flattest of water. WaveJet lets you break free. www.wavejet.com

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