Skate Afloat: Pro-Skater Bob Burnquist's Floating Skateboard Ramp Makes Waves

Professional skateboarder Bob Burnquist has skated on almost every surface imaginable. In 2013, when Visit California asked him to dream big and try something completely new, he and his team decided to build a ramp...that floats. "Dreaming big man, that's what I do every day, I just try to dream as big as I can and then go make it happen. You need to believe in something intense enough to go make it happen." Burnquist said. 300 man hours, 1,250 screws and 7,300 lbs later, the athlete's dream surfaced over the crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe.

Designers and builders Jerry Blohm and Jeff King set out on a four day construction adventure to create the floating skateboard ramp. Faced with many challenges, the designers problem solved issues such as leakage, weight, construction and materials. "Not only is this thing a ramp, but a floating ramp!" Blohm exclaimed. "The valves are most important because if they leak, the thing will rest on the bottom and Bob will be skating underwater."
 

Thanks to the skilled team of craftsmen, the ramp did not end up on the bottom of the lake. Instead, it became a floating platform for Burnquist to shred on under the California sun.

Brazilian-born Bob loved the ramp so much he wants another on built for his waterfront home in his home country (only because his San Diego spread—where he has his own super-pipe—doesn’t have any waterfront). Cool fact: during the shoot, a wet-suited snorkeler was at the ready to dive for Bob’s skateboard every time it went over the edge and into the big blue.

The entire project came to fruition thanks to Dream365, an initiative set into play by Visit California, intended to inspire people to #DreamBig in California.

Photography captured by Myles McGuinness Photography