The world's first end-to-end AI-assisted surf competition platform. Competition management, wearable telemetry, computer vision, and judge assistance — unified in a single stack.
Surf competition technology is fragmented. Competition management, AI vision, wearable telemetry, and judge assistance are spread across separate providers with no integration between them. No single platform combines all five capabilities.
| Provider | Does | Doesn't |
|---|---|---|
| LiveHeats | Competition management, live results | AI, vision, telemetry |
| Flowstate AI | Computer vision, maneuver detection | Ocean competitions, comp management |
| Refresh Technology | Legacy scoring hardware, judge replay | Cloud, AI, modern UI |
| WSL/AWS | Apple Watch telemetry, broadcast AI | Judge assistance, open platform |
| STACT | Generic event management | AI, surf-specific features |
HeatSync is built in six layers — three production, three in development.
| Capability | HeatSync | WSL/AWS | Flowstate | LiveHeats | Refresh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition management | ✅ | — | — | ✅ | Partial |
| ISA blind judging (5-panel) | ✅ | — | — | ✅ | ✅ |
| Priority + interference | ✅ | — | — | ✅ | ✅ |
| Apple Watch for athletes | ✅ | ✅ | — | — | — |
| Computer vision (ocean) | Planned | Roadmap | Pools only | — | — |
| AI maneuver detection | Planned | — | ✅* | — | — |
| AI judge assistance | Planned | — | — | — | — |
| Wearable telemetry | Planned | ✅ | — | — | — |
| Livestream overlay | ✅ | ✅ | — | — | ✅ |
| Real-time WebSocket | ✅ | ✅ | — | — | — |
| Cloud-native | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | — |
*Flowstate AI operates in surf parks only (controlled cameras, consistent waves). Not built for ocean competition.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ HEATSYNC PLATFORM │ ├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────────┤ │ JUDGE │ WATCH │ CAMERA │ BROADCAST│ ADMIN / │ │ iPad │ Ultra │ FEED │ OBS │ PUBLIC │ ├──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────────┤ │ PROCESSING LAYER │ │ CV Engine · Telemetry · Wave Detection · Maneuver ID │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ SUPABASE (CLOUD) │ │ Scores · Priority · Telemetry · CV Results · Realtime │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ WEBSOCKET RELAY SERVER │ │ Supabase Realtime → Watches / Clients │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ DELIVERY LAYER │ │ Judge Co-Pilot · Watch Priority · Live Results · OBS │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
HeatSync is built for full compliance with the International Surfing Association rulebook (April 2025) and ISA Judging Manual. Key compliance points:
| Requirement | Implementation |
|---|---|
| 5-judge panel mandated | Full 5-panel support with drop high/low averaging |
| Human-in-the-loop | Priority and interference calls by judges only. AI is advisory, never autonomous |
| AI cannot autonomously score | AI classified as "Judging Aid" (same as Refresh replay system). Suggests, never decides |
| Electronic coaching rules | Watch displays only publicly available data — priority, time, published scores |
| Blind judging | Judges see only their own scores. No cross-judge visibility |
| Head judge authority | Head judge can override any score (with logged reason), certify heats, manage priority |
| Protest window | 15-minute window after certification. Scores locked. |
Every competition event generates labeled training data that improves the AI:
Video (multiple angles) + Human judge scores (ground truth) + Watch telemetry (motion data) = Labeled training examples per wave
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Global surfing population | 35 million |
| Surf equipment and tech market | $4.59B (2024) |
| Sports technology market | $26.79B (2024), 23.2% CAGR |
| AI in sports market | $8.92B (2024) → $60.78B by 2034 |
| ISA member federations | 100+ countries |
| Component | Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Web App | Next.js 16 + Supabase | Scoring, admin, live results, APIs |
| Real-time | Supabase Realtime + WebSocket | Live score updates to all clients |
| Watch | SwiftUI + CoreMotion (50Hz) | Telemetry capture, priority display |
| CV: Detection | YOLO26 (Ultralytics) | Real-time surfer detection (<50ms) |
| CV: Segmentation | SAM 3 (Meta) | Text-prompted surfer segmentation + tracking |
| CV: Tracking | Supervision (Roboflow) | ByteTrack multi-object tracking, annotation |
| CV: Analysis | Gemini 3 Flash | Maneuver classification (1-3s per frame) |
| CV: Deep Analysis | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Full wave analysis with ISA scoring criteria |
| Co-Pilot API | /api/copilot | Telemetry + CV overlay for judge iPads |
| Deploy | Vercel + Cloudflare Stream | Web hosting + livestream |
| Endpoint | Purpose |
|---|---|
/api/judge/score-v2 | Blind score submission + wave averaging |
/api/judge/head-panel | All scores, overrides, certification |
/api/judge/priority | Priority state machine (start, wave_ridden, suspend, etc.) |
/api/judge/interference | Interference calls + penalty application |
/api/telemetry | Watch telemetry data + wave events |
/api/copilot | Judge Co-Pilot — telemetry + CV overlay + consistency alerts |
/api/stream/active-heat | OBS overlay data with telemetry |
/api/compete/season-points | Season point calculation |
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| ISA rejects AI | Positioned as "Judging Aid" (same classification as Refresh replay). Never claims autonomous scoring |
| CV accuracy insufficient | Start as supplementary data for judges. Improve with training data flywheel over time |
| Beach WiFi unreliable | Apple Watch Ultra has LTE fallback. 50 reconnect attempts. System degrades gracefully |
| Ocean CV harder than pools | Start with jersey detection and wave detection (solvable). Complex maneuver classification iterates over time |
HeatSync is developed by the Barbados Surfing Association. For partnership inquiries and federation pilots, contact bsa.surf.