Nathan Cool - WaveCast History

WaveCast History

Cool lived in the Midwest before moving to California in the mid-1980s. Once in California, he picked up surfing and decided to fill the void of information that could accurately and affordably predict surf conditions to maximize quality time while surfing.

In the late 1990s, Cool founded his initial forecasting service WaveCast. Combining his engineering skills and ocean wave principles, he developed an accurate method for forecasting surfing conditions that is still in use today.

Cool’s approach brought the latest technology on the Internet into the hands of many surfers. Starting as a pay service, WaveCast quickly became a popular forecasting service for Southern California, providing members with inexpensive, accurate forecasts, and received accolades throughout various local media including Marc Kent’s Let’s Talk Surfing.

The pay-per-view model that the original WaveCast service provided was kept information away from many surfers who could not afford the subscription. Cool eventually teamed with WetSand, a new portal for the surfing community. The business model was conducive to providing free forecasts, and the combined expertise brought the availability of demographic expansion while placing crucial information regarding coastal conditions to surfers around the globe.