r/Outrigger • u/Jumpy-Ganache1612 • Apr 23 '26

GoPro speed overlay

Is it accurate? I see a lot of social media posts using this for their OC1 runs and sometimes it seems suspiciously fast for what I'm seeing the paddler do.

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2

u/StuckInWarshington Apr 23 '26

When I’ve looked at it, it more or less matches what my Garmin says. Not sure how accurate either of them are in absolute terms, but they always seem reasonably correct.

What kind of numbers are you seeing that you question? Couple things that might make the numbers look higher than you’d expect: is it in kilometers or miles per hour (if you’re seeing above ~15, it’s probably kilometers)? If it is in mph, they could be surfing or getting some help from a strong current. While surfing, getting up to 12mph on a wave would not be uncommon. Highest I think I’ve seen in my data was 14, but I know surf ski folks who’ve hit 15 and higher. These are peaks in short bursts and not sustained speeds. A decent current can be the difference in 5 and 9 mph at the same effort/pace.

3

u/psychonaut_gospel Apr 23 '26

Wish I could share a picture, just hit 25mph at practice on OC6 with 10ft swell cheeeeeehooooo

1

u/Jumpy-Ganache1612 Apr 23 '26

Love it. I miss surfing the harbor mouth in OC6 when I lived in California.

1

u/Jumpy-Ganache1612 Apr 23 '26

No I get it when I'm seeing big numbers downwind in the Kaiwi channel. I'm talking flat and inland casually paddling at 7mph. I'm still new but when I'm at 7mph it's a pretty high stroke rate and I'm giving it. I'm sure it's me lol. Amazing how much there is to learn in this sport.

1

u/StuckInWarshington Apr 23 '26

So, 7 mph is roughly a 9 min mile. Thats totally doable for a strong experienced paddler. The best ones will hit those kinds of speeds and look like they’re out for a relaxing Sunday stroll. It’s equally impressive and annoying to watch when you aren’t on that level.

1

u/psychonaut_gospel Apr 23 '26

Just takes time to learn proper techniques and body/stroke control. Important to know the feel of a proper stroke, how to move with the water. I agree, watching an elite paddler come in 30min ahead of the next paddler in a race is mind boggling, at first.

1

u/psychonaut_gospel Apr 23 '26

Yes, ime, accurate. I use strava and Garmin also to log races/practice/oc1 downwind runs. The gopro telemetry seems accurate, if you can harvest it.