About me

My name is Cole Merrick. I build software for a living, but I take the time to surf whenever there’s swell. I had a bad concussion in early 2017, and then a successive concussion two weeks later, which two of the neurologists I saw referred to as a mild 2nd impact. (2nd impacts in children are fatal). I experienced wild emotional swings, panic attacks, short-term memory loss, dizziness, and other PCS-related symptoms like brain moving sensations, throbbing, headaches, and migraines — the worst of which lasted for about 8 months, the milder for more than a year and a half. Playing it safe to the advice of my doctors, I didn’t get fully back in the water for almost two years.

During my recovery, I became obsessed with helmets and helmet technology. I wanted to design a new surf helmet so I could stay in the water and be able to surf the rest of my life. Doing lots of research into biking helmets, ski and snowboard helmets, and current surfing helmets, I quickly became knowledgeable. I started sketching new designs, and purchasing the best of what’s out there, simply to take a look, to learn more, and to also find the best available so I would be ready to surf when I got cleared to surf again. I learned about new foams, inserts designed to mitigate linear and rotational impacts beyond MIPS, and other ways of lessening a blow (like how reducing the friction around the exterior of the helmet can be just as important as these special inserts).

I built this website not only to make sure I am using the best head-protecting gear out there for my own head, but also to share what I’ve learned. Every surfer should know what their options are when considering a helmet. All the info is right here on this site — literally every helmet currently on the market that has a chance of performing well surfing. And, if anything new breaks ground, there will be a forthcoming review.

Testing the Gamebreaker-Pro in Canadian surf in January.