This project had all the components to be one of my favorites – an incredible athlete about to embark on a mission to do something that has never been done before at a unique location. I love it when I can capture a historic moment and make it eternal through my photos. It was the perfect project for the end of another exciting and successful year behind me. American Wakeskating pioneer and three-time world champion Brian Grubb achieved an extraordinary world first in an innovative project that combined drone Wakeskating and BASE jumping. Perched atop the sky bridge at Dubai’s Address Beach Resort, the Guinness World Record-holding infinity pool sits an astounding 294 meters above sea level.
Grubb’s daring journey began by wakeskating 94 metres across the rooftop pool, towed by a drone, before leaping over the pool ‘s edge, seamlessly transitioning into a thrilling 77-story BASE jump and successfully landing at the beach below. This remarkable accomplishment, known as “WakeBASE,” realised Grubb’s seven-year-old dream and marked a historic milestone. Here’s all you need to know: The WakeBASE project posed an unparalleled challenge for Brian Grubb, who has travelled the world Wakeskating unique places like Wadi al-Hidan canyon in Jordan, the icebergs of Cape Cod or Türkiye’s Cleopatra Pool. The combination of Wakeskating and BASE jumping had never been attempted before, and Grubb was determined to be the first to showcase it to the world.
Grubb explained: “I wanted to be the first person to do a combination Wakeskating switch into BASE jump and push myself to the highest level in my sports. I’ve had this idea for seven years, and not a day goes by when I’m not thinking about it.” After he successfully completed this dream project, Grubb added: “It’s been a long time coming, we had to build a drone that could pull us and I had to get more proficient in BASE jumping. Then we found this awesome location in Dubai and I just pulled off the sickest thing I’ve ever done on a wakeskate.”
To prepare for this daring adventure, Grubb enlisted the expertise of Miles Daisher, a renowned BASE jump legend with over 4,500 BASE jumps to his name. Daisher designed a rigorous training program to build Grubb’s skills, recognising that Grubb had only 26 BASE jumps under his belt by December 2022. The pair began their extensive training at Daisher’s facility in Idaho, USA, focusing on mastering on 106m to 121m exit points. Next, Daisher and Grubb headed to Lauterbrunen, Switzerland, the best BASE jump area in the world and a town famous for its contribution to BASE jump lore. There, the focus was on six exit points, moving from the easiest to the hardest, High Ultimate at 305m, so Grubb could get comfortable and confident with free-fall. In total, Grubb clocked up 106 BASE jumps under Daisher’s watchful eye.
Grubb explained: “Mentally, this project was very demanding, but my training schedule prepared me for every moment. I’ve been training for BASE jumping all year with Miles Daisher to prepare for everything during the jump”. In partnership with Prada, as Grubb was armored in custom Prada Linea Rossa performance gear, optimised for both sports, combining high performance and innovation. Prada Linea Rossa gear that combines comfort and performance with the versatility required to adapt to both sports, providing equipment for ultra-high speeds and powerful impacts. Durability, thermal protection, and unrestricted movement are granted by multilayer and elastic structures, heat sealing, large and lightweight volumes, and high-performance details in the materials, fabrics, and innovative design solutions – employed in everything from the board to the clothing and accessories. His shoes were specifically designed to ensure optimal grip on the custom Prada Linea Rossa Wake Skate, his board with a modern design, featuring the iconic emblem of the trademark.
As Grubb continued to refine his skills, drone developer Sebastian Stare and his dedicated team undertook the extensive task of custom-engineering a drone specifically tailored for this unique project. Stare explained: “What makes the specific drone suitable for WakeBASE is the improved flight behavior for Wakeskate moves. It was created at a semiconductor company specialized in automotive Microcontrollers, RADAR chips and power electronics. It is our own unique IP, from hardware components to software ones like electronics, flight controler, algorithms, sensors, propellers, and safety tail. With insights from Brian himself, the drone functionality was improved and tested several times along the way to match the level he needs to perform WakeBASE.”
Brian Grubb’s WakeBASE project represents the culmination of over 20 years of Wakeskating and 15 years of skydiving, blending his two greatest passions.
On the unique location, Grubb concluded: “When we got this idea, we looked for high water and there’s not much out there. Then we saw the Address Beach Resort in Dubai with the highest invisible edge pool in the world and we had to come take a look at it. The building is set up for us, the way the pool curves is perfect for me as I’m right foot forward and the shape is what we needed for the ramp and then there’s this nice big landing area on the beach. As soon as we got eyes on it in person, we knew it was on and that’s when the real mission started.”
As I mentioned initially, these kinds of projects are my favorite. When you do something for the first time, no one can advise or tell you what to do. You have to create your own concept on how to approach the project and how to capture the best moments, which is what thrills me. For projects like this, good preparation and organization are of crucial importance. I had the pictures in my head even before it happened, and I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve.
I worked with four cameras. One was in my hand, and I controlled the other three remotely. I also used several GoPro cameras. Needless to say, I was limited by time, and I had only a couple of seconds to capture the action. This resulted in spectacular photos that tell the story of this history-making event. On this project, I worked with two other photographers. We have known each other for nearly 15 years and have been working together on other projects, too, so our cooperation is always at the highest level.
When I was invited to work on the WakeBase project, I knew that it was going to be spectacular. First of all, we have two great brands, Red Bull and Prada, that have joined forces, and then there is Brian Grubb, whom I had known since 2015 when we did a project in Bjelasnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is an extraordinary human, a professional in every sense of the word, and very cooperative. So, I very much looked forward to meeting with him in Dubai and shooting his historic WakeBASE. Likewise, it is a huge pleasure to work with both Red Bull and Prada because both brands hired me for this project.
ABOUT BRIAN GRUBB
Brian Grubb learned to water ski before he could read and write. Although he grew up in the rural countryside of New Hampshire, he spent summers with his grandparents on a lake in Indiana, where he fell in love with the water. He moved to Orlando as a teenager, which opened him the opportunity to do wakeboarding. He then evolved from wakeboarding to wakeskating. Two years after Grubb was named 2001 Alliance Rider of the Year, he went pro at 23. As a rookie, he won the 2003 Wakeskate National and World Championships – the first of many titles and accolades for the affable athlete. As well as competing, he’s traveled around the world making some memorable videos, from the rice fields of the Philippines and the desert in Brazil to skating across Cleopatra’s Pool at the Pamukkale Hot Springs in Turkey.