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Lewis Hamilton and Justin Bieber rode $15,000 motorized surfboards together

Lewis Hamilton and Justin Bieber rode $15,000 motorized surfboards together

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And now I know that motorized surfboards exist

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Lewis Hamilton

Yes, that is Justin Bieber and Lewis Hamilton in the photo you see above. Yes, they are riding motorized surfboards in what looks like Lake Tahoe or some other upscale picturesque vacation destination. Yes, they are already having a more chill summer than you.

But I have to admit I feel a bit embarrassed that, until this photo, I had no idea that motorized (and even fully-electric) surfboards exist. I've ridden and driven a lot of awesome stuff since I started working for The Verge two years ago, and we've covered a whole bunch more, and yet I never even deigned to explore who or what might be disrupting the surfboard.

I never thought to ask: who is disrupting the surfboard?

The ones the Biebs and Ham were seen buzzing around on are made by a company called JetSurf. But there's a bunch of other companies making them at all sorts of price points with different features, form factors, and power sources. And — of course — there are even races!

What I really want to know, though, is what surfers think of this tech. Are motorized surfboards (and, therefore, the people who ride them) a scourge on the beach scene, a presence as unwelcome as a stray shark? Do you just have to find a way to Coexist, man? Does anyone have $15,000 I could borrow for a few months?

Poll

Are motorized surfboards:

This poll is closed

  • 41%
    For tourists and rich people and, therefore, the worst
    (940 votes)
  • 28%
    Totally chill, just stay away from the break
    (658 votes)
  • 13%
    Honestly I'm just here for the Biebs
    (294 votes)
  • 18%
    Hamilton sucks and there's an FIA conspiracy to make him the champion of F1
    (423 votes)
2315 votes total