Making waves

Mike Sciacca

Dave Holtz has come a long way from riding a balsa wood surfboard

back in the late 1950s.

He’s gone from having his first, raw surfboard made by a classmate

at Lakewood High School nearly 50 years ago to working with longtime

friend, Loren Heacock, on creating and designing a sleek product

today that could be the next big thing in the water.

The two created of the Hydrofoil Bodyboard Fin, an attachable fin

that just might take bodyboarding to a whole different level.

It’s already getting noticed, but these two boys with their new

toy, who are all smiles when talking about the fin, are taking it in

stride.

Still, they marvel at how it all began.

Holtz, a Huntington Beach resident who turns 64 in August, and

Heacock, who turns 60 that same month, said the thought of turning

the idea of the hydrofoil into an actual product came to fruition

nearly a year ago to the day.

“We both love the ocean and Loren said that instead of just

talking about the idea of the fin, let’s get down to business and

make one,” Holtz said. “So, we did.”

In the garage of the Heacock home in Fountain Valley, Holtz said

the two cut up six old surfboards. After testing and a few

modifications, they came up with a prototype for the fin, which Holtz

said was designed to resemble a whale’s tail.

The fin eventually made its way to China and back, where it had

been shaped until the finished product was just right, Holtz said.

The Hydrofoil originally was just one fin, but the two discovered

it created too much torque. They then designed a two-fin hydrofoil

stabilizer, which became their finished product.

“It’s now gone global to distributors in Germany, France and

Brazil,” Heacock said. “It’s beginning to make its way around the

world. We’ll see what happens with it.”

The company 360 Inc., a leader in the surf industry, has produced

all 500 hydrofoil fins that have been manufactured.

The hydrofoil can be attached to any bodyboard. An easy-to-follow

template the pair mapped out is included on the bottom of each box

containing the product, and the fin is secured with just four screws.

Holtz and Heacock designed the fin for better maneuverability,

greater speed, increased mobility and the ability to spin faster and

perform more radical moves.

The Hydrofoil Bodyboard Fin can be rented at Huntington Surf and

Sport but is not yet for sale.

“I tried it once and rode for about an hour, and it was sweet,”

said Mark Pesce, 24, a surfer who works at Huntington Surf and Sport.

“The bottom turn was real tight and it tracks better than a

bodyboard.

“I think that if you’re an amateur bodyboarder, you’d be stoked on

it. I’ll give it a ride again.”

Holtz’s love affair with the Pacific Ocean began 50 years ago,

when he began body surfing around the Huntington Beach Pier and at

the Wedge in Newport Beach.

It continues today with surf sessions at Bolsa Chica State Beach,

at Trestles, and in Hawaii -- where he will arrive today, hydrofoil

in hand, at Poipu Beach on the island of Kauai.

The fin has already been used at the famed North Shore in Oahu,

and has been used -- to great reviews -- by one of the best

bodyboarders in the world, Guilherme Tamega of Brazil.

“We hope it takes off, but basically we’re just having fun with

it,” Holtz said. “Having fun has been the key with us.”

Holtz and Heacock said they get stopped by surfers and

bodyboarders alike when they take the Hydrofoil Bodyboard Fin for a

spin in the ocean.

They were stopped again by passersby Monday morning at Pier Plaza.

“That looks pretty cool,” said Billy Hopkins, 13, of Huntington

Beach, as he and his friend, Trevor Waring, 14, both surfers, stopped

their bikes to get a closer look at a Hydrofoil Bodyboarding Fin as

it lay, bottom-side up. “It looks like it would probably be easier to

turn than a regular boogie board. That’d be cool to use.”